nysalogs | ❪ event ❫ what is the storm

What is the storm —?

The sky is falling. The moon draws closer, visibly now. Whether you've found out from Nurray, or somewhere else, everyone now knows that in about a week, Thesa will collide with El Nysa. However, not all is lost - Nurray has a plan. Old technology is being powered by the storm somehow, giving the developers in Nadril the means they need to create a device capable of jumping back into the past. The device can only transport to one singular point in time per activation, but passing through is a better chance for safety than remaining. As long as you're in Nadril you'll make it, which is why she'll urge everyone to try to get all their business done and travel back north.

At first, it was a mere atmospheric pressure drop. Headaches, a sense of dread in the gut, and a chill that would not be quelled drifted over all of El Nysa's inhabitants. And then the days grew shorter. By hours at a time, until there was nothing left but night. Still lit with stars, people turned to Thesa, to their scholars, to their shamans for answers. None came, only exploding lights in the sky. One by one, stars began to burst, like the grimmest of fireworks. For one dreadful night, the sky was alight once more with the death of the surrounding galaxy as thousands of stars extinguished in a blaze.

And then came the lightning, low hanging clouds and whipping wind that howls at all hours. It brings with it calamity, beasts and fog and a reality shattering effect that progresses ever closer. Against these unstoppable odds, the people of Nysa are finally united - desperate, and determined to preserve their homeland.

IN WYVER

The life that imbues the jungle town has gone still. Animals do not seek shelter - they simply lay forlorn, lethargic and unresponsive to even their dearest handlers. The wild creatures are no different, with predator and prey supping from the same stream, seemingly resigned. Once vibrant plant life droops, blotted into obscurity by the darkness that surrounds. Only the people of this great kingdom remain lively, though their actions are fueled by desperation, than valor.

A rally cry rings out over Wyver, even to Olympia, begging anyone who is able to fight. Beasts no one has ever seen before have begun to attack, roaming the city and the lands surrounding as if it is their hunting ground. These creatures are cobbled together from the many worlds the storm has consumed - perhaps your own included. They could bear familiar technology, animal features, or even a loved one's visage. No matter their composition, they are always amalgamous, and always crazed.

The valiant warriors fighting these creatures have more to worry about than just the monsters. Their own bodies may become entangled and fused - an effect that only wears off when one retreats from the storm's epicenter. Specters also drift through the onslaught, oddly peaceful compared to the frenzy surrounding. They are wholly composed people, memories from planets devoured. Someone you know, perhaps, stuck in a loop - the same five minutes - for hours before fading away. They cannot be killed, doing so will simply reset the loop; they will vanish on their own, as mysteriously as they came.

I. THE FRONTLINES

Wyver might not be able to fully understand exactly what is happening, but they've already assigned a task force to combat these apparitions that have begun plaguing the jungle Kingdom. But the Storm is sentient; it has always gathered what it's known of the habitants of the universes the Storm has swallowed. And as it begins to unravel El Nysa, it will begin to learn of your time here — yes, it knows that you are trying to stop the Storm from happening, somehow. It knows you're looking to fight you way back north, and it simply cannot let that happen. After all, El Nysa is an anomaly created by Darma. All of its inhabitants, organisms, and even existence were not supposed to be.

The apparitions start off monstrous at first, taking forms of ghostly bestiaries. Your weapons won't do much to get rid of them — they will disappear, but only temporarily, until they come back. Each time, more evolved than the last — until it's able to take on the form of someone who has left you, someone who has returned to the stasis chambers in Thesa, awaiting to be devoured by the Storm.

Your partner will likely be doing the same, haunted by images of their loved ones of the past — and there is a possibility that as you fight along with your partner, that these apparitions will combine into ghastly, wretched creatures, serving no other purpose than to spook you into submission. They will fight you, embrace you, and seduce you into staying. "Let the Storm take care of this," they'd stay — "You've got it all wrong. You and that Witch had it all so, so wrong."

Will you make it out of Wyver, or will you let the Storm take you?

IN OLYMPIA

All of Olympia is awash in fog. It creeps in around each and every corner, so thick it is almost difficult to breathe, and even more difficult to see. You can hear the panicked citizens all around you, although through the fog, their shapes are indistinct and almost menacing. A family fleeing from something might look like a quick-moving, multi-headed monster, or perhaps a lone man hauling his belongings to safety on his back might appear to be an imposing creature with wicked claws. And then, of course, there are the figures that look achingly familiar to you, like someone you've lost or care for deeply… but then, when you catch up to them, they vanish, only to call out for you from somewhere further in the city.

Tread carefully — with your impaired vision, it would be all too easy to inadvertently wind up injured. Of course, this isn't solely due to the hazards obscured by the mist, although that is certainly part of it. The fog has a quality to it that serves to amplify the desires and lower the inhibitions of everyone exposed to it.

II. SILENT HILL

Similarly, Olympia isn't properly equipped to deal with a crisis like this. Wars, they are certainly accustomed to — but when their very own land is indiscriminately being torn apart by alien forces, it is uncertain to know for sure what they can do. Word from Nadril is that the inhabitants up north has opened its gates for everyone to enter — this is news to Olympia, but they do not hesitate to migrate to the chilly gates regardless.

The first obstacle, of course, is to find a way out of Olympia. The fog is debilitating, but you may not immediately notice it. It starts small. A spark of annoyance at getting cut off by someone you barely saw coming might twist itseful up in you until it becomes unbridled rage. Simple fear becomes indescribable terror, and of course, people are at their worst when they are acting on fear. If what you want is an escape, you may find yourself willing and able to do things you simply could not fathom in order to get out of there. If what you want is riches… well, there is plenty of wealth ripe for the taking, should you simply ambush someone fleeing or break into their homes. The longer you spend in the fog, the more difficult it will become to fight back these urges.

If the fear doesn't completely paralyze you, you may find that there is a rather unconventional yet risky way of alleviating this ailment -- which might require someone you trust. The thing is, upon holding someone, all of your fears will be transferred unto that person. It will then be your duty, then, to escort them out of the fog before your fears start to completely deteriorate your ally's psyche. Move quickly, or you may both be crumbled by the weight of this Storm and its fog.

IN NADRIL

The journey north is treacherous, but not without its own rewards. Nadril is marked by a storm that is raging at the territory's edge, as if the forces of nature are attempting to do away with the border itself. Strangely, the storm seems to be stopped by the borders — electricity crackles in midair as snow and ice whip about, disintegrating when they touch what seems to be an invisible dome sheltering the area.

Inside, the weather is even stranger. The iced-over lakes have begun to thaw, and it is warmer and brighter than anyone here can recall it ever being — almost as if it is summer near the Olympia-Wyver border, not the dead of winter near the northernmost part of the isles. There is an almost palpable level of unease as those who live here full-time attempt to adapt to their new climate.

Everyone is working, however. At the center of Nadril is what they all hope will be a solution to their problems: they claim it is a time machine, and that they have tested it through simulations and believe that it can, and will, work. They are already using it to help combat the storm at the borders — at times it does manage to penetrate the dome, but when it does, engineers turn back the clock an hour at a time to so that they can divert power to the parts of the shield that they know will need reinforcement. Be careful when this happens — it would be very easy to run into your own double in such a circumstance, and that could be… awkward, until enough time passes to bring you back to the "present" and you merge once more, taking on the memories of everything that you and your double (or triple, or quadruple) have experienced.

Operating such a machine will take manpower, which the people of Nadril are prepared to provide. However, the undertakings they will require in the past — waking the gods, who they believe can provide protection from the Storm if you can convince them — will require all of you. Relying on a single person to change history is untenable. Only by working together will you be able to make the jump to the past and secure your future.

III. INCEPTION

Most importantly, there will need to be volunteers to undergo stasis. Pods that were similar to those in Thesa can be found all over the city center, beckoning people to sleep now, and hopefully wake to better tomorrow. But just as the Storm benefits some technology, it negatively affects others — but this is to do with the mind more than technology itself. For one, those undergoing stasis will find themselves dreaming of a better time in their lives — be it their homeworld or some other happy memory of theirs. The Storm magnifies this dream — everyone within a certain radius will find themselves entering the dream, despite being wide awake.

Inside this dream, you will know instantly that something is awry. The events of reality, of the awoken, are beginning to seep into the sleeping person's dream. The lines between dream and reality become blurred, and you've been tasked to ensure that they remain asleep. That means that you must guide them into believing that nothing is awry with their happier memories, that they are not dreaming, and guide them through it. Ensure that the nightmares of reality be kept at bay, and that they may sleep through it all.

The Ark of the Woken

The Ark of the Woken awaits, its chambers an imposing majesty of their own. Compared to the sleek design of Thesa, the Ark is a cobbled together patchwork of technology. But even with its exposed wires and manual input systems, Nurray promises it will get the job done. That is, once the pods have been brought to it from Thesa. The targets are Thesans who have previously awoken, however, no one has time to actually inventory the sleeping ones brought to this hamlet. If you choose to bring someone else, you'll probably get away with it.

The procedure is harrowing - severing the pods from Thesa runs the risk of interrupting the life support system inside. To compensate, there is a small device that can be hardwired into a port on the back of the pod. It's fragile, and the function it provides only lasts twenty minutes. You have that time to move the pod to a small ship, and pilot it planetside yourself. Nurray suggests traveling in pairs - the Natha duo pilot ships are faster, and more reliable. However, they rely on a neurolink between pilots. If one is not focused, the ship may begin to malfunction. While navigating through rough turbulence, each pilot will be able to feel the others emotions, and hear whispers of their thoughts.

All while the storm clouds around them play glimpses into their memories. Snippets, only seconds long, from the perspective of the pilot, provide easy distraction. Stay on task, and make your landing safely - your lives and others are depending on it.

A Simpler Time

Your seven days is up. You have (mostly) achieved all your tasks, and you are now waiting. Those harrowing last hour may stay with you forever — while your peers tirelessly secure the time machine's effectiveness, you watch as Thesa draws closer. It's closer to you than you've ever seen it, more menacing than you realize as it threatens the lives of everyone you ever cared for. Alria, the lesser known moon, is first pulled toward Thesa, crushing a side of it. You may witness debris spilling into space and dissipate into the atmosphere.

You might think, perhaps, that those were bodies of some you were told not to bring to the Ark.

But you're assured many times that that won't matter, that this can be fixed if you simply wait and watch. The time machine will work.

It's into the final minute, and time seems to stop — yet, you feel your breath catch as Thesa penetrates the atmosphere. You can no longer breathe, and gravity loses all its bearings on the laws of physics. As you float into the air, you're wondering if the light that engulfs you is an explosion — you might wonder if it could be death. At the very least, you are among people you've known on this planet. It isn't as though you were never meant to survive the first Storm.

Simply close your eyes, and the Storm run its course.

In the distance, you hear a muted voice.

What is the Storm,
But an attempt to cleanse the world —
Of its anomalies?
Open your eyes, Traveler,
Where are you now?

FINAL OOC NOTES

Welcome to El Nysa, Year XXX. Due to the time warping of the Storm, this event will not strictly follow the 1:1 ratio. Additional information about this world will be revealed early next month! For now, play at your pace. RNG for NPC threads will announced later tonight!

RECOMMENDED LISTENING: Live Forever

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[ Theon is a ghost in the house. He haunts it almost silently, rarely leaving his room or speaking to the others. Claire is the only one who really seems to acknowledge him, because he only gives his trust to Claire and the three dogs he keeps.

It was one of the dogs that led him out into the fog. She’d bolted, and he’d decided to follow. When he limps back home, it’s with an enormous hellhound at his side, some sort of dead creature clamped in her jaws. She had once been a hunting hound, after all. Theon merely lacks the expertise to control her. ]

I live here.

[ He says it bluntly, eyes downcast. He knows who Jamie is, regardless of their lack of interaction. He's avoided speaking with him. ]

Ifrinn.

[ A curse in Gaelic as Jamie looks at him, the beast, and then past both of them. ]

Where is Claire?

[ He hasn’t seen her. He hasn’t wanted to see her. No matter how many walls Theon builds, Claire always tries to force her way inside, but Theon distances himself far too often. It’s why his only friends are an old woman and a dead man whose memory he can’t let go. He doesn’t want people to see him for the pitiful being he is, but Claire has seen all of it, yet Theon still distances himself. Her entire family is here, and no matter what she claims, he isn’t family. It doesn’t feel right that he should force himself in the middle of it.

He glances up at Jamie with hollow eyes, trying not to look or sound concerned. ]

Shouldn’t you know better than me?

[ This is the first time he's laid eyes on the other man, and Christ he's upset, but not at Theon. He can't believe his wife is now out there looking for no one. ]

She ran out to look for you.

[ Theon doesn’t know Jamie well enough to know who he’s upset with. He’s already on edge with too many things: the added company in the house, the oddly familiar voices he thinks he hears calling to him from the fog, and now Claire’s absence. Jamie’s words sound harsher than they really are, and Theon doesn’t wish to stick around to hear more. ]

Then I’ll leave again.

[ It only seems logical to him. ]

Christ, no, ye'll do no such thing.

[ Claire would never forgive him if he let Theon go back out. ]

Get in, now. I'm going.

[ He was always going, the moment Claire wasn't right behind Theon. ]

Where would she go look for ye?

[ He doesn’t appreciate being told what to do. He’s had enough of that from everyone else in his life. Despite his aching bones, he makes no move to go inside. ]

Nowhere.

[ He doesn’t leave often enough. He has no places he likes to go or people he likes to see. He truly is a miserable young man, intent upon letting himself waste away while all his guilt eats away at him. In his mind, it’s what he deserves. ]

She isn’t looking for you. She’s looking for me.

[ Truly, Jamie has no idea if the boy is daft or isn't listening, but Jamie looks at him now intensely. ]

I ken she is'na looking for me, she's looking for you. Yer tellin' me there's nowhere she'd think to look in all of Olympia?

[ Maybe his wife is the daft one then, to go out and wander alone with no mind of where she's going. ]

That’s what I’ve just said.

[ To avoid shrinking beneath Jamie’s gaze, he turns instead to the dog at his side. She didn’t always belong to him. She still doesn’t. Not really, but they tolerate one another, so she tolerates a pat on the head. ]

I don’t have friends. I don’t go anywhere in particular. She knows as much.

Then I'm wastin' my time talkin' to ye about it.

[ He's going, but he does turn back to Theon. ]

I ken ye have no care for what I tell ye, but if ye go back out after I've laid eyes on ye, Claire will scalp me and refuse to come back wi'out ye if ye go back out. So ye'd be doing me a great service if ye would stay put.

Edited 2019-01-28 22:00 (UTC)

[ Theon can’t explain why Jamie’s words spark a rage in him, but they do. He’s been a hostage for half his life, hasn’t he? He had freedom in Winterfell, but his time with Ramsay truly wore him down. How much of his life has he led merely doing what other people wanted him to do? How much of it has he lived being what other people wanted him to be?

It’s not the time to linger on such things, but Jamie’s near-order clearly irks him. He snaps his head up, eyes him for a long moment, and nods. ]

Aye. I’m certain it would.

[ But it’s clear that he’s not going to stay put. He’ll go back out, halfway out of his own stubbornness and halfway for Claire’s sake. Jamie means little to him. Claire is the one who has earned his trust, and he expects her not to actually scalp her husband. ]

[ Jamie has his opinion about Theon then. ]

I see her caring for yer well-being is no' reciprocated. Fine.

[ In Jamie's mind, if all of the energy Claire put into caring for Theon was appreciated even a little, if he worried after her even on the most minute of levels, he would know to stay put so that he could tell his wife the lad she cares for so much is safe.

But, no. ]

I pray ye find her then, before I do. Otherwise, she willna come back wi' me willingly.

[ Idly, he wonders if that turns out to be the case, would she stubbornly insist on going back out for Jamie. But he banishes the thought (she would. She would.) and turns to go, determined not to waste anymore time. ]

❪ event ❫ what is the storm—?

fraser residence even tho he's not a fraser

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