❪ event ❫ THE DESCENT: PART ONE.

[natha]

THE PROLOGUE     Your sleep on the night of the 15th is not a restful one, unfortunately. It’s unclear whether you are in a state of half-wakefulness, or dreaming. The voices you hear certainly sound very real. What is it, Sael? —Is everyone asleep?! Every one, yes. Sael, it appears you do not have good news to deliver...? N-No! I don’t know how it slipped past us, but there’s something powerful coming this way. Something hostile. I can barely keep the core systems online! ... I don't know what to do... I see... and we cannot protect Thesa and Alria in addition to transferring the Refugees to Olympia. This force, they waited for this moment. They knew I have been Intervening, and that I have become weak from such Interventions— ... We've been had. It cannot be helped. To save the Refugees on the Stations, we must eject the awoken unto El Nysa. My remaining energy shall go into shielding Thesa— left defenseless, every being we have saved on this station will perish... Sael, where is the ideal location for the landing? Hmm. There aren’t any people within a ten mile radius of The Outlook, and there shouldn’t be any for a few more days. I think that’s the best location right now. Very well. Instruct Zasere and Roman to begin preparations for an emergency eject. This is the only way we can save everyone. I am counting on you to ward off the enemy on the space front. The rest... is up to our Refugees. The alarms are blaring. It shouts against your eardrums, calling you to wake again. This time, you are in new pod, strapped down completely and cushioned tightly against the walls. In truth, you had no idea when you’d gone to sleep, but it is reminiscent of when you had been saved from the force of the Storm. A voice greets you when you come to, while the conversation between Darma and Sael is still fresh on your mind. Despite their voices playing like an old tune in your memory, you still know it is something that happened. Something has gone terribly wrong. You hear Darma speak, her voice loud in your head. Fellow Refugee, I wake you with regrettable news. A force equal to our own is attempting to engage Thesa, no doubt to steal the souls contained here. My energy is near depleted with this last Intervention, so I cannot send you to the grounds safely as originally intended. However, there is hope yet.This power shall instead shield Thesa and Alria — and believe in me when I swear no one shall be hurt. Your loved ones are safe with us. —Unfortunately, that is at your expense. Your descent will not be an easy one. This pod that contains you shall pierce through El Nysa's atmosphere and land you on an island west of Olympia, simply called The Outlook. Travel east. Find the West Outpost, then continue east until you find the Olympian North Gate. There is a method to this madness. You shall be sent in waves. The inhumanly strong shall be first. The parachute will soften the landing, but I am aware of all your capabilities. The first wave will survive the drop, and will work tirelessly to secure the others. Find your bearings, and ensure the safety of the second wave. They are the healers and medics. Catch their pods, ease their landings, make certain that they shall not be harmed, because you will need them for your wounds. The third wave are your strongmen. They shall help clear the debris and take people to safety, making way for the fourth wave, those can conjure magic to help. Bring everyone to a safe distance. A supply drop will follow soon after; it shall contain tents and tools that will be useful for the long night. The fifth and sixth waves are largely vulnerable humans. With your combined efforts, you shall survive this great misfortune. Forgive us, Refugee. Leave the Moons to us, my promise to you is still in tact— focus on what you can do for others like you. Helping at least two (2) Refugees will earn you one (1) Natha REP. Threads must be AC length to qualify, and can be submitted HERE by JULY 31st. THE DESCENT     FIRST WAVE. The instructions are clear. Those who are a part of the First Wave should be equipped with physical strength and fortitude to survive the drop or the power to regenerate and heal their own wounds. While the pods are already designed to cushion some of the impact, as this is the first group, it will likely to be the most jarring. In all of the waves, some of the pods will malfunction and offer no cushion at all. They will be expected to quickly find their bearings. Their mission isn’t simply just landing, after all. The first wave will be expected to help the next wave, and the wave after that. Whether through their abilities or brute strength, they will be expected to help soften the landing for those who are falling. They will also be expected to pry open hatches, carry people to safety, and to just... survive. It’s not always easy being first. SECOND WAVE. Within the next hour, it’s time for the Second Wave to make their descent. You were selected based upon your aptitude for healing and/or being able to administer first aid. Perhaps you can help the tired and weary. Maybe those who have landed have have strength, but no stamina. Either way, it may be unwise to exhaust all their abilities at once. The night is long, and you may want to conserve their energy for the next waves to come. At least you’ll have help in getting settled. THIRD WAVE. Akin to the First Wave, the Third Wave will possess some durability, and some manner of strength, making you a reliable ally. Especially in a time of crisis... Or so we hope. While the landing is tough, and some of you may need first aid. As soon as you’re all healed up, you’ll have no time to dawdle. Your help is required. “Please help those still trapped in pods. Carry those unconscious to safety. Lift debris, and rescue all you can.” May be a vague message still stuck in the back of your head. Something whispered to you while you were just waking. Well, might as well roll with it. It’s the best shot you have, after all. FOURTH WAVE. Those in the Fourth Wave, as Darma projects, were selected due to the versatility of their abilities. No one expects one man to do the same as the next. Rather, that’s precisely the point: to be different. To be able to accomplish something unique. While one individual may be blessed with powers that assist in putting out fires, another may have the ability to shield those from oncoming debris. Maybe one even has the ability to channel all of these. Regardless, it’s up to you and your quick wits to see what tasks are open. It’ll take some coordination, especially as there are more people mixing into the fray, but, you can do it, can’t you? FIFTH WAVE. If you are in the Fifth Wave it is likely that you have a specific power or ability. One that isn’t easily channeled or called upon. Or, perhaps, you were merely placed here for insurance. Whatever the case if, your expertise will presently be put to the test. Maybe you’re quite proficient in survival skills, and you’re already eyeing the supplies that were dropped between the Fourth Wave and now. Goods all ready to be salvaged. Okay, maybe some can’t, but as they say, “it’s the thought that counts.” Besides, the injured from earlier certainly need a space to rest, and camp isn’t going to make itself. Regardless, maybe you feel more comfortable joining in the efforts to assist those who still require it. Whatever it is, you are sure to find your place and use. Darma obviously held the same faith. FINAL WAVE. The Final Wave is fortunate in a variety of ways. With Thesa Station a bit more stabilized, Darma utilizes the last bit of her powers in insuring that these last remaining pods are met with the softest landing, right beside the fifth, that is. The fragility of life is nothing she is unfamiliar with, after all. Still, that isn’t to say nothing is expected of you. Most of the individuals that have dropped earlier will likely be exhausted. An hour stretched between each one, makes several hours for the first couple of waves. They'll need a place to relax. You will act as the final group of helpers. Settle into whatever role feels best for you. Are you an excellent cook? Great at rationing supplies? Perhaps, you have a secret skill in ______ that might come in handy here? Or, maybe, despite the gentler landing you still managed to get hurt. The sky's the limit, and you got this! Meanwhile, in the distant kingdom of Olympia, the Empress and her loyal subject discuss matters late into the night... I’ll have the results of that dragon toxin study ready for you soon, Your Highness. I just need a few helpers to— oh wow, is that a meteor shower? Oh yes, it appears so. How beautiful.. hehe. Let us thank Thesa for this blessing. GATHER YOUR BEARINGS     All in all, the descent lasts for nearly seven hours. After the deployment of the last wave of refugees, it’s only natural that you may be feeling pretty worn out. A. Within the remains of the pods, Refugees will find basic camping supplies such as small tents, sleeping bags, and compasses. Not all of the supplies remain intact, thanks to the impact of the crash. But, sharing resources will ensure there is enough for everyone to rest for the night. Can you really in good conscience leave that stranger next to you without shelter? B. Although you may be tired after such a life-threatening ordeal, there is still work to be done to ensure your survival. Fortunately, it works out because now there are plenty of empty hands. There are stray debris and metal parts that should be collected and disposed of. There's firewood that needs to be collected, and campfires to upkeep. The nights in the Outlook are particularly chilly, and so it will be imperative to keep warm! C. Your clothes are tattered or too bloodied to sleep on with comfortably. Fortunately, Darma thought ahead. There will be various types of clothing provided, mostly robes that resemble her own in earthy tones, all to help them camouflage you for your next big adventure. FINAL OOC NOTE     This INTRO event will be broken up into three parts! Please keep this in mind when plotting your threads/tag load. PART 2 will be posted on JULY 18TH and PART 3 on JULY 22ND, at 6 PM EST. In the event of CAPTCHA, we will be providing an overflow. In the event of a second CAPTCHA, players are advised to move threads to an overflow post on their character journals. These threads remain eligible for AC, AC Rewards, and REP. The NETWORK is currently down, as Sael must concentrate all of his efforts on warding off the invading force. Characters may still message each other's personal IC inboxes. Submit two (2) AC-eligible threads from this log for one (1) Natha Orbiter REP point here by JULY 31ST. Recommended Listening: Alex & TOKYO Rose QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● world ● map ● reputation ● npcs taken ● reserves ● application calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[screwsitup]

in the water. not far from here.

[ he deems the fish fine to take away from the fire, now. as he inspects them: ] you got a knife or anything? [ nonetheless, he takes one fish off the branch and extends it toward the other. ] makes it easier.

[revlon]

[ Something in her expression shifts — it's curious, a softening and a hardening both, like recognition and sympathy all rolled into one. She watches him look to the skies and she imagines he's seeing what she thought she'd seen upon landing: air raids. She won't soon forget the wailing klaxon, the way the train tunnels shuddered under the barrage as people slept underground to weather the onslaught.

It sounds like he's referring to Operation Pied Piper. The government called for families to send their children to safety in the countryside; she remembers seeing the crowded train stations, the parents bidding goodbye to their offspring. The weeping. Peggy draws her robe close around her shoulders and says, ]

I was too old to be sent away on the trains. [ She went to Bletchley, to work as a codebreaker instead. She smiles briefly, quietly. ] You do mean the war, don't you? With Germany.

[popess]

Makoto Niijima. But Makoto is fine.

[ she was probably american, so honorifics weren't so much a thing — that, and matters of upper and lowerclassmen didn't matter much when they were in space. that brings up another interesting issue, though.. ]

You aren't Japanese. But we can understand one another. I wonder if the Orbiter's somehow effected our neural structures to create a universal tongue. It's almost like.. I'm no longer speaking Japanese.

iii.

[noctsout]

[ And in the aftermath of mayhem is a controlled sort of chaos, with harried people looking after their fraying nerves with questionably burnt supplies. Not all of them were beyond salvation, but there's only so many holes that Noct could stand to find to be littered among the sleeping bags before things start going from just harrying to, you know, annoying. It's probably just his luck, with how his progress is slowed by how quickly his eyes are to blur with exhaustion, but there's just enough perseverance (read: mulishness) left in him to be collecting what he can, setting them aside for later use. If not by him, then by others-- it's all the same to him.

And it's to that end that he finds himself sequestered away, trying to wrangle a little tent into place. Strangers are all that he sees, all that he meets (save for two, arguably three), a crash course back to social etiquettes that Noct finds ill-practiced but easily remembered. It's easier to act casual when no one knew (or cared) of his lineage, much easier to call out towards that skulking shadow of a figure that he catches at the corner of his eye when the stake that he'd just hammered down start to unravel-- with himself trapped on the other end of the tent that he'd been trying to bully into place. ]

Hey! Uh, you mind grabbing that?

[ That, you know, just. That, that shoddy support that'd meant to keep the other side of the tent taut and maybe upright while Noct finished up on this end, yep. ]

[screwsitup]

a spiny guy? [ that gets him a snort. ] i mean, you could, but if you do it like this... [ clint lifts his foot, points his toes toward the ground, and very carefully begins to set it down, starting with the outer ball of his foot and gently rolling it downward until his entire foot was on the ground. ] if you do that and put one foot directly in front of the other, it's called fox walking. cloud does sound pretty good though.

[screwsitup]

alien fluids? in the water? aren't people drinking it? [ didn't HE drink it??? way more concerned about this than explaining himself to what is probably this planet's first cryptid. ]

[popess]

What makes you so sure?

[ she's yet unaware of the existence of other persona users — at this point, it's almost a thought that's never crossed her mind. it was easy to think that they were contextual and specific to her own situation. her tone is suspicious and leading — like she's trying to get kei to reveal his cards. ]

If you're talking about Johanna, then yes. We've faced some opposition before. But nothing that counts as.. a demon. Not to my knowledge, at least.

[exonerated]

Let's just say a Lion started roaring and scared her away. [ He means this literally, of course, but others might think otherwise. An underwhelming sense of humour at play. ] And we've discovered that a magic wand breaks easily if you cut it in half with a sword.

[ He examines the fire in his hands, toying with the flickering flames with his fingers. Now that it seems a little less harmful than anticipated, he finds it peculiar enough to warrant his own curiosity. It is, however, getting a little hotter the longer it sits in his hands — but for now, he's keeping it. ]

Would regular water douse it?

[screwsitup]

okay, no touchy, not touching. [ clint you're still holding it. it has made him way more curious about it though, and now he wants to peel it off just to see what'll happen. but he won't. not yet....... ]

the stickers are... duplicating it? care to explain?

[unprays]

Did you? [ he seems determined for a conversation, and Sansa shifts so that she is turned towards him, offers a smile like a conversation is all she could have wanted,
too. and perhaps it should be — how else is she supposed to learn of those sent down here with her?

she looks down, demure, as though hesitant to say what follows, ] You don't look like a singer, ser. [ she pauses, raises her eyebrow just slightly. ]

Ronnie? [ an inquiry — and a handy way to not say anything one way or the other about singing. ]

[unprays]

[ how stupid, she thinks, for her heart to race like this, for her to be so frightened of nothing but another woman, out here seeking to help the same way she is — the kindling in the woman's arms confirms that much.

Sansa attempts for a small smile. ]

No, it's alright. It was silly of me. Of course the only ones around would be others who got sent down, too.

[coolerjunpei]

[But why would it say that if it wasn't true?! He never googled this.]

I— I figured they knew something I didn't! ["They." Big Mattress.] Come on, plenty of people think it's real.

[coolerjunpei]

[Does he get an award for being a cryptid? He deserves one.]

Uh- yeah, like, from alien fish? Haven't you ever been to the beach? There are fluids in there, too.

[yourhatred]

Not particularly, but I know of some.

[This isn't entirely true. Itachi is in possession of spirit weapons that he's connected with the Susano'o technique. As that is in turn connected to his Magekyou, something he hasn't been able to use since he got here, then it could be said that those weapons were left at home. But he doesn't like describing his abilities to others when it isn't necessary, whether he can access them or not.]

My partner had a sword that ate the chakra, the life energy, of others.

[Until it had grown more attached to the vessel for the Eight Tailed beast, anyway. He has to remind himself that those vessels had names. "Killer Bee" or "B", or whatever odd title he went by.]

[planetary_bonds]

I can do the basics, at least. Nothing fancy.

[You want him to grill? He can grill. He can use the stove. He can fix the stove, too, if it's broken. But gourmet? That's just not Yusei.]

Using an open fire...It's a little difficult and lengthy, but it's doable. I've never really had to hunt myself either, though...so I suppose we'll have to rely on someone else bringing something in, right?

Camping

[poolhall_killer]

[This is Venom's attempt to at least try to mingle with potential new allies. He usually tries to keep separate from people he doesn't know, mainly due to being such a private person. Here, it might not be a good idea to do that since he's not sure how long they're going to be part of this. All he knows is that he's going to protect his beloved master and allies that are still locked away.

He turns to the other man and nods.]

It is a good start.

[He's trying to build conversation the best he can despite the awkward pauses.]

It's a bit colder than I expected.

uwu*

[unprays]

[ later, Sansa wonders how a younger her would have taken it all — would she have been charmed, excited to finally live through such a rescue she'd always read of in her books; surely the Sansa who had not yet stepped outside of the safety of Winterfell would have still carried romantic notions and have called her rescuer a knight, nay, a prince, guided to her by the grace of the Gods.

but the child that believed in tales and the Gods is no more, and her gratitude and awe mingle with surprise and suspicion.

but let us go back to the moment she opens her eyes in the pod, feels the wind on her face and looks in the eyes of — ]

— Edward? [ she looks at him, then down at herself, the straps that keep her secured to the pod. then, she nods — not entirely sure what is happening, but certain enough that staying where she is right now is a bad, bad idea. she unfastens two of the straps to help him, and then all she can do is hold on, press her face against his chest and hope they will both be alright. ]

[popess]

.. A worm. Right. [ that made sense, or was at least congruent with what she knew about fishing. still, being asked to find a worm is something that gives her pause — she's not even entirely sure how to do that, other than to look down and get lucky.

she looks to her feet, then gently lifts them to see if anything's underneath. well, that's a bust. ] Do you have any suggestions on how to do that?

[luxuriant]

Aw, don't be like that, Merlin. I'm being serious! It's cold, so we should go see if there are some extra blankets or robes or something, right?

[He pushes himself up and dusts himself off.] Want one?

[luxuriant]

[Both of those things earn a laugh.]

No way. My luscious locks are one of a kind... almost. [He's got a sister, but nevermind that.] I guess you could say I stand out in a crowd for more than my dashing smile.

[luxuriant]

Too bad.

[He takes it in his hands, turning it over to inspect it with his usual smirk.] I guess these things are pretty dinky, though. [Probably wouldn't fit two people, anyway!!] Did they really pack spares in some of these things? Mine got all ruined, so I thought we'd be at least one short.

[luxuriant]

Hahhh?

[That throws Zelos completely off guard. He takes a step back in his shock, then drops his arms back to his sides.] You can't be serious. I don't need anything, so shoo! A guy like you following me around is going to ruin my street rep!

[No, he's just embarrassed...]

LMAO

[luxuriant]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's the big hurry? A healer's got to make a proper inspection!

[He only likes staying more if Sanzo is going to be annoyed by it. But more importantly than that is the fact that he hasn't seen the guy move that arm too much. He points at it.]

What's going on there? Is it broken, or just sprained? Injured?

[luxuriant]

Yeah... a real wonder.

[He stares at Ardyn again for that, but his arm has to raise to deal with more of that wind throwing dust at them.] A little of both. I've just got this sturdy, manly body of mine. [...Or a magic rock, but like, he prefers to say it one way over the other.]

I got a little beat up forcing myself out of the thing, but I can use magic on myself no problem.

[There's one pod nearby that's smoking, and Zelos quickens his pace a little to head over to it, checking if anyone else is inside.]

[luxuriant]

[He doesn't need to be told twice, but there's only so far he can back up from this thing. These pods are packed tight, and even as he leans back all the way, he knows he has to raise his arms to shield himself. Sure enough, glass shatters and cuts in a few places, embeds in others, but at least his face is safe.]

Tch! [Anime noises, it's fine, he's fine. He drops his arms shortly after, shifting to make sure enough glass is out of the way before he tries to crawl through.]

Whew... I thought I was gonna die in that thing. [That's his version of a thank you as he plucks a shard of glass out his shoulder.]