❪ event ❫ what is the storm—?

[natha]

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 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

[stuns]

[ he can feel that it's working at least, whatever ability this place has given him over the past six months. it's a warmth that seeps through his fingers, his arms, from his chest, the kind that he's figured out both protects and invigorates. the curl of a tentacle behind him should probably unsettle him more, but at this point... juno's more focused on getting ren to sit the hell back.

there's an exhaustion in his voice, not quite self-aware.

and okay, maybe he's a hypocrite for trying to get ren to back down from the fight just a little. a little. he digs his fingers slightly into whatever ren is wearing at the time, probably grazing tentacle or bramble as he goes. ]

Do what more often? Get yourself neck-deep in trouble?

[ he pulls him a little closer, and down even, mostly because there's a small streak of nausea that paints the front of juno's skull. but at least they're safe for now - the immediate threat gone to skulking, regrouping in the thicker part of the forest. ]

What the hell happened to you?

[ as he gets a better look at ren now. he doesn't seem like he's going to just up and run anytime soon, in fact, he might be getting a little closer to get a look at where tentacle and forest have fused into ren's person. ] Do you... feel okay?

[thedarkbond]

[Ren lets himself be dragged down not quite bonelessly, but without any noticeable resistance. A soft laugh comes from him at the initial remark at him getting into trouble, but he's expecting a lot more questions than that, and isn't at all surprised when they come.

Of course, at the awareness that Juno is looking over him as he asks what happened, Ren extends his tentacles out a bit to reveal where they're coming from, except the one still looped around Juno's waist. Besides that one and the leg, it mostly seems to be the two his arm has split into and the two growing out of his head, all of it concentrated to one side except the lone dagger hand on the other.]

Mmm, I think I get myself into trouble plenty, you just need to be around to see it more...but I'm not really that sure what happened, honestly. [His hand tentacles curl up to his chin in an attempt at his usual thoughtful motion.] I was fighting out here for a while, and then I guess I just stopped being able to make my tentacles go away. By the time I noticed, it was already like this. [Because the not being able to get rid of them was mostly what had keyed him in, much too late.

Nonetheless, after that thought, he waves his hand tentacles somewhat dismissively, and possibly a little too close to Juno's face to be entirely comfortable.] It's fine, it's fine, I'm just tired. And I get tired all the time, so that's normal.

[He can't really tell if he's in pain because he's mostly been running on adrenaline here, but he's neglecting to mention that part. His focus turns quickly to Juno instead, though, as he leans back to try and get a better impression of Juno's condition.] It hasn't happened to you too, has it...? It might be dangerous to be out here too long.

[There's almost a chiding tone to that, as if fussing about Juno putting himself in danger despite...well, the entirety of Ren's current condition.]

[stuns]

[ yeah, no this is not the time for ren to be worrying about him, juno has decided. he shakes his head and helps ren lean up against a tree for a while, pretty firm in how he settles a hand against his shoulder as if to say stay. ]

No I haven't... become some weird tentacle stick person yet.

[ which leaves juno wondering if it's specific to ren alone or... it's some sort of power complication. he presses his lips together a second, looking him over one more time before glancing over at the faintly rustling brush. nothing darts out at them just yet, so juno turns his attention back to ren briefly. ]

Look, I know you said it's fine... but does it hurt? [ his brows lift a little more, concerned. the theia is trying to get a read on him, but there are... some complicated biometrics going through his skull, likely because of all the weird tentacle fusion that's going on. he shakes his head a little. ] We'll get the hell out of here and get you checked out by someone. See if they can reverse it or... something...

[thedarkbond]

[Ren helps himself up a bit too, mostly with his tentacles because using the other hand would probably just sink it into the ground and not help at all. Though he already looks like he'd like to run off and hit something else, he puffs out his cheeks a bit when Juno holds him back a little against the tree (or he puffs out one cheek, at least. The shadowy one isn't really cooperating).

That expression only deepens at the question, and he wafts his tentacles a bit as if in a dismissive motion before he speaks.] You're going to make a fuss if I say I can't tell if it hurts, aren't you...

[He's been too caught up in the fight for most of this time to really be aware of anything but a dull ache that he associates more with deep exhaustion. It's not really what he'd describe as actually hurting, with his pain tolerance.] I don't want to leave before I've gotten rid of these things. [He gestures towards the bush, as if to indicate that he means the current threat, and though his expression remains petulant, his tone gets rather darker as he goes on.] I don't want to let them get away with all this, and it's easier to fight when I'm like this anyway.

[He's...not being the most receptive about just walking off the battlefield, it seems.]

[stuns]

[ the darker tone doesn't go unnoticed, in fact, juno knows pretty much exactly what ren means. he looks over to the movement in the area ahead of them, shifting in his crouched position to slide an arrow out of the quiver from his back. he nocks it into the string and looks at ren briefly. the nausea in his throat has subsided a bit. ]

Will you come with me if I get rid of these bastards hiding in the bushes?

[ if i, as in you better damn well stay put. he shifts, as if to settle just a bit, not at all about to move from ren's side as he stretches the arrow back, the theia coming to life in a spark of color as he glances back. ]

Bet you I can do it from here.

[thedarkbond]

[Far be it from Ren to turn down a display of skill, but he sighs and pokes his tongue out at Juno a bit for that offer. His tongue just happens to have turned partially purplish-black and tentacle-like as well, so it's a lot more of a tongue-poking than usual considering how much longer it's gotten.]

When I said I wanted to get rid of "these things", I wasn't just talking about those ones...I want all of them crushed and broken... [His tone isn't so much dark this time, but it's more delicate and higher than it usually is when he's being innocent, and almost breathless with rapt attention on that idea. They've really pissed him off by dragging body parts he recognises into these amalgamations.

It rounds itself out again as he goes on, though, eying the bow and the Theia and then the bushes.]

That doesn't seem like a very fair bet for me to take, anyway.

[stuns]

[ right. right. goddamn it, ren. juno's mouth twists a little bit, dissatisfied with the answer. the tension in his shoulders grows just a bit as he doesn't waste time firing off his first shot into the bushes. there's a shrieking howl that comes from them, a writhing noise that rattles the leaves and branches as blood oozes out from beneath it. there's a rallying noise from behind, a low series of growls. ]

Compromise then, [ juno hisses out between his teeth, pulling another arrow out and standing up. ] We get everything that comes at us on our way out. You're not looking too hot, Ren, just saying. You're more tentacle than you right now and something tells me that in the long run it's not gonna do you any favors.

[ normally running away isn't something that juno's keen on, but in this case he wants them both to get out of here in one piece - there's just too much at stake for either of them to just die in this stupid dumb forest. his fingers flex just a little bit as he eyes the soft glow he's left on ren's body. for a moment he presses his lips together and shakes his head. ] That's not gonna last for long - it's some shield. So if you want to go and kick some teeth in without letting them get at you, now's the time to do it. I'll cover you.

[thedarkbond]

[Ren puffs out a long breath, as if even having to compromise that much is a problem for him. But he considers the entirety of the situation as he stands up - he needs to get to Nadril, and if he's in this condition, that's going to be easier said than done. And then there's the matter of who he's going to have to face in this state if he chooses to head back to his home. So maybe only a little more playtime is best.

He clicks his tongue in a somewhat dissatisfied manner.] I suppose it would be best to do something about this before Aichi-kun sees it... [Yeah, he still couldn't actually care less about his own condition, he's just concerned about freaking out his newly awoken roommate. But he stretches his tentacles out rather luxuriantly in that moment, as if preparing to relish the last of the experience.

Then he tilts his head a little to wink at Juno.] I hope you can keep up, then~

[And with that, he starts running ahead towards the nearest sound he can hear that also happens to be back towards Wyver proper. The tentacle leg he has right now is making his gait a bit of a lilting, uneven thing, but he seems to be doing okay with it despite that.]

i almost forgot the best part of this was the body horror AND the mindfuck

[stuns]

[ oh goddamn that wink.

he moves behind ren at a steady pace, which is better than he's been able to run in months. he blames the fact that this place really likes to put them in the thick of things more often than not, all this running and dodging and bobbing and weaving and what have you. he watches ren's gait briefly, the drag of his tentacle leg making juno wonder if he's gonna feel that later. if it hurts.

but he doesn't have much time to linger over it as something darts out of the din, snarling and pulling from the underbrush. the creature glows with some ethereal sort of light, made up of thorn and briars, snapping white teeth and matted fur that might have, at one point, been something brilliant and snowy in color. juno's about to lift his bow when the creature digs into the earth and barrels closer, under the dirt are streaks of red in a strange pattern, markings he only was able to see towards the end of her supposed second stay here. he starts: ]

Am —

[ before she tackles him hard into the ground. ]

[thedarkbond]

[Ren turns his head at the feral sounds rising from the undergrowth, and when a recognisable shape emerges, his eyes narrow slightly and he pauses. There's something familiar about that...

It's about at the same time Juno starts to speak that it clicks for Ren as well, and with the moment of shock having been swept away in the moment the macabre caricature of Amaterasu tackled Juno, it burns out immediately to something cold and hollow.

The wolf barely has time to get purchase on Juno before there are black tendrils curling around it, constricting and crushingly tight, starting to drag it off despite its struggling and snapping. The half of Ren that isn't made up of the tentacles that are doing that is strangely still, and for a moment, it almost seems like a swirl of blue and pink dances in his eyes before disappearing just as quickly.

He can't lose his temper quite that easily anymore. But his tone is cold and imperious as he drags more insistently at the fused form, grip slowly getting tighter and tighter.]

I'm really...really...sick...of unfathomable cosmic powers using my friends against me, you know... [It's clear enough from just the way Ren's speaking that "really really sick of" might as well be code for "beside himself with rage", but then, there's a coldness to it that makes it seem a lot more subdued than it actually is.]

[stuns]

[ juno reacts almost instantly to having the creature dragged off of him, some weird perversion of who she used to be, now wild and angry, hateful and spitting blood from her muzzle. he can practically hear ren's barely-contained rage in his voice, enough that he doesn't waste anymore time nocking and arrow and firing it straight at the creature struggling in ren's tentacles now, wearing amaterasu's skin as a mask. ]

Go to hell! [ he hisses, letting the arrow fly. the theia sparks bright, helps pick up for his lack of depth perception, lands the arrow straight into one of its eyes, another into its snapping jaws. ]

[thedarkbond]

[The creature buckles at the hits, and the tips of Ren's tentacles reach out, wrapping around the arrow shafts and forcing them in deeper. It's not exactly something he enjoys seeing, but there's a certain way Ren uncoils when he feels the arrows hit bone through brain and the creature jerks once more before going still. He releases it, almost tempted to throw it aside, but instead simply rolling it away and drawing his tentacles close to himself again, one of them going up towards his forehead momentarily.]

Mmm, that's been a while... [Since anything made him angry enough to trigger his Psyqualia. He has a lot more control over it than he once did, but then, he's also not in the same quite yet near constant state of simmering anger and bitterness that he had been when he was originally in thrall of the power.] At least the other familiar ones it's thrown at me had the decency to be more messed up than that.