❪ 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

[thedarkbond]

[The touch of desperation to Molly's voice and the glaze over his eyes puts a smile like a dagger on Ren's face, an enjoyment he hasn't been able to feel for a while since coming here. It's an alluring combination to him, being able to make someone squirm and writhe and plea but in a way that they also enjoy it as much as he does, and his kisses and nips against Molly's mouth are eager and devouring right up until the climax, his irregular rhythm working itself out based on what movements are drawing the best reactions. His toes curl a little when Molly's tail wraps around his ankle, but he doesn't let it distract him too much - though there's a certain satisfaction to that as well when he feels it go limp.

It's only when he feels that and the seed spill across his hand that he finally lets go, shifting his thigh carefully out from between Molly's legs so it doesn't disturb his tail too much. Despite the fact that he can feel the pollen fading as well, his mind slowly growing less unfocused and heady than it had been earlier, he nuzzles into Molly right back, finding a spot under his chin and apparently equally content to lie around for a little while despite being wet and sticky and tired.

At the very least, he licks some of the seed off his fingers before he drapes an arm over Molly's waist, out of a combination of curiosity and courtesy. It's an odd taste, but it might be useful to be used to it in future.]

I'm glad you had as much fun as I did. [He would've felt a little bad if he hadn't been able to reciprocate in a satisfying way.] And you lived up to all those pushy high expectations of mine, too...

[Now that he's not focused on drawing out Molly's reactions, he definitely looks and sounds a little exhausted in the same way he was earlier. Logically, he knows he should probably wash up before he inevitably falls asleep or it's going to be that much harder when he wakes up, but he also doesn't really want to move right now.]

[mollymocked]

[Molly hums a little and reaches up to stroke Ren's hair. This is where people he has, on occasion, bedded tend to reach a breaking point, and he's been up and abandoned in the afterglow enough times to find it irritating, but Ren isn't moving, and Molly physically can't, so they're stuck like this and it is absolute bliss. He's going to need a serious dunk in the grotto after this, but that's as good as a bathhouse.

He flicks his eyes down just in time to see Ren lick his fingers and if he weren't spent that would be arousing in itself. He settles for knotting his fingers approvingly in his hair and holding him a little closer.]

I should really be pissed at this bloody forest for just pushing that on us, but god I needed that.

[thedarkbond]

[Ren tilts his head a bit into the stroking somewhat like a cat, matching the tiny little cat smile that creeps onto his face at it. It's not really something he's had the opportunity to ask someone to do before, but it certainly feels nice, and he shifts and nuzzles himself in at a slightly different angle to give Molly easier access to more of his hair.

At the same time, his own hand drifts ponderously up and down Molly's spine, nails ghosting down the line of it like a whisper. When Molly pulls him closer, he adjusts accordingly, wriggling up against him like...well, a cat trying to get comfortable, and giving a pleased little hum at the fingers in his hair. Turns out Ren acts even more like a cat than usual when he's put in this kind of situation.]

It's a bit rude of it...but I don't really mind either, since we both enjoyed ourselves anyway. Though I guess I know how to take your mind off things now...

[He sounds mildly amused at the notion, but hey, maybe there'll come a time where he's that intent on taking Molly's mind off something.]

[mollymocked]

[Molly's tail flops across Ren's legs in response to stimulus from his spine working its way downwards, responding the way a cat's might if someone were to pet it just the right spot. Truly, this cuddle pile is nothing but cats, which is ironic considering Nott and Caleb. At least he and Ren have always owned their strangely feline traits. This is just business as usual for them.]

That's a good start. Drinking, recreational drug use, new experiences... And sex. If you can somehow get all four in there, it's a good night. I think you're up for the challenge. I feel like you're gonna be able to really excite me.

[A door is open now. It's not often you can get casual sex out of your close relationships to really cement that bond (intimacy with strangers is different, because Molly is empathetic and always feels something for people who aren't just royal arseholes, but it's fleeting and meant to be gone within the night). With friends, someone either gets clingy or things end up on bad terms... Or someone falls in love which is another problem. That isn't an issue here- he and Ren are far too much alike. It would be a disaster.]

[thedarkbond]

[Ren could be really rude and mention the last time Molly tried to take his mind off things with recreational drug use, but he doesn't really want to open that back up for discussion right now. Especially since he already expressed that he's willing to watch over Molly doing it even if he's not the most interested in partaking himself.]

Well, anything that sounds like a challenge is good for me...there are definitely other things I could do to you that I didn't get the chance to yet.

[Granted, a lot of those things require a lot more preparation and probably at least a little bit of advance warning, but he'll cross that bridge when he comes to it. As it is, while he does entertain the notion that he's not as distant as he pretends to be and that might be a risk when it comes to something like casual sex, at the same time knowing in advance what kind of person Molly is helps, because the last thing Ren would want to do even if he did start having other feelings would be tie someone down who didn't want to be.]

I hope you're not expecting me to regale you with exciting ideas right now, though, I'm too tired for that...

[mollymocked]

No, no... That's something we can brainstorm another day. [Most people would be worried about being exhausted and naked and vulnerable in a strange forest that just enticed them into into sex, but fuck if this is how he goes, then that wouldn't be the worst way out. His life expectancy is short to begin with.]

Besides, someone's bound to come wandering into this clearing and want an invitation, anyway. We should keep our options open. [He's mostly joking. That sounds like a lot of effort. That pollen did a fucking number on them.]

[thedarkbond]

[Ren curls his head a bit further into Molly's neck, apparently still not terribly interested in going anywhere, though he lets out a breath of a laugh at the idea of someone wandering in.] If you've still got the energy for that, then go ahead, but I think I'd rather sleep...

[Though the shifting around he's doing is just reminding him of the tacky feeling between his fingers, and he huffs.] Or wash and then sleep, but I don't really feel like getting up either.

[mollymocked]

Oh, don't misunderstand That is completely an invitation to snuggling. The rest they'll have to do on their own time.[A gross sticky snuggle pile on the grass surrounded by- well actually the pollen has completely dispersed so it's no longer a horny den of madness anyway.]

I've slept in much worse situations. [That could be a lie or he.. no, he probably has. And it might not even be a sex-related comparison either.] The stream'll still be there in an hour and just as cool and relaxing then as it might be now. I'm comfortable with where I am for now. Moving will only fuck it up. [He yawns dramatically to prove his point, which shows off his pointed canines and makes him look even more deceptively catlike.]

[thedarkbond]

Hmm, if passing out counts as sleeping then I might have too... [He passed out on a concrete rooftop and woke up with a splitting headache once, and passed out on a weird teleporter after being magically dispelled from the world he'd just been in. Both of which probably qualify as worse than just being gross.

If Molly's not moving, though, then Ren certainly can't be bothered with it, and he nestles himself in closer still, with his whole body this time rather than just cat nuzzling, and his arm curling a bit tighter around his waist.] I'll take your word for it, then.

[Molly being the More Experienced Party with this sort of thing and all.]