❪ 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

[winddaughter]

Here. Take this.

[She holds out the large scrap of metal debris she was moving, treating it as though it was nothing more than the weight of a thin blanket...

this

totally isn't a test

really

she's just... curious]

[coolerjunpei]

Oh. Huh. That's... cool? I guess?

[Who lives in a tent... That's fine. He lived in a cheap apartment and has no basis for comparison to this. But here he is, watching this tent assembly. It's so impressive. For tent assembly.

Yeah, he has nothing to contribute.] I'm Junpei. Thanks, uh, for this.

[unchainedwolf]

[Psh, Fenris asking Anders for help? As if. He knows that Anders would never let him live that down anyways. He would rather ask Hawke but...he has no idea where she is.]

I hit it on landing.

[He doesn't know how hard he hit. The glass didn't shatter, so at least there is that.]

It's nothing that can't be fix with real medicine.

[global]

That's tough. But we did just freefall from outer space, so it could be much worse.

[ He doesn't seem to have lost his marbles, so she approaches, smiling brightly, despite the fact that even she was pretty shaken up by the fall. ]

Want some help? The sooner you can put it together, the sooner you can rest.

[uglybug]

[She shakes her head, frowning at the injury to his hand. Even she has a myriad of bruises and scrapes, though all thankfully superficial; they are discouraging and distracting and Mantis is sure that every person here is suffering from some sort of weariness of body and soul.

She reaches forward, fingertips just skimming over the skin of his hand.] May I?

[romancekiller]

[it had been a long day for clarke and naturally she still had her doubts she was mostly voicing out of frustration given their current circumstances. hearing someone response to her words, clarke just shrugs slightly and looks towards him] Yeah, I don't think any of us signed up for it. I figure it's some sort of test for survival though.

[fakers]

Then you've been cooking since you were... how old?

[valcurie]

( Patriotism is pretty old-fashioned, but then he is from another era, she assumes. 'Soviet' was a long time ago. )

And here I would have expected you to be able to sleep bare-chested because this isn't Siberia. But please, do stay warm. It won't do to have you catch cold.

Me? ( She looks at him, some stray firelight catching a spark in her eye. She'd hope he would be able to take a fair guess, given that her country's flag is sitting on squarely on her hip. ) No where near as interesting as the Soviet Union. I'm Swiss. I was born in Zurich. ( Meaning she's the German kind of Swiss, if that makes any difference. ) Home of the best chocolate in the world.

[winddaughter]

"My head," she snaps, her tone dripping with disgust, wondering if the woman had been listening at all. No one understands. No one ever understands, except for her people in stasis.

And yet, she doesn't lash out again, so there's that plus.

[uglybug]

[She offers a quick smile, still awkward in its weariness, but genuine. Mantis wraps her robe securely around her shoulders and holds her hands out to the fire -- they're marked with her day of work, scraped knuckles and trembling in the cold.]

Thank you.

[sparsity]

So it's like that.

[ He understands. Rest was as precious a commodity as food, water, or ammo, and just as rare, some days. But like any of those things, they had trained their bodies to make do without it. As if by fire, by forge. Turning something dull into something valuable. To them, if no one else.

Chewing on the sweet bits of food in his mouth, Mikazuki glances aside to their surroundings. A war not of their making. Just their own choice.

...it's a lot of waiting. ]

There was more water in the air too. [ From the planet frosting over at night and thawing during the day. ] I thought it'd be the opposite, with rivers and trees here.

[beatupgrass]

I got three of 'em now. [He activates it just to be on the safe side and hovers for a few seconds before dropping back down and deactivating it. There's just nothing more sci-fi than a collapsible jetpack.] I haven't worked out how to keep the fuel cells charged for longer than a couple hours at a time or else I'd be zippin' across this bullshit wilderness in style.

[popess]

You can keep them open. I don't mind revealing my tricks, considering it's not magic.

[ she sings it out ruefully — being doubted wasn't something she enjoyed. she could put up with a lot, but everyone reaches their point — aranea's doubt is mild and understandable, but when she summons her persona, she draws back on times when she felt in the way. words said against her. it became the source of her power.

she rips off her mask, and aranea will find herself levitating 4 feet above ground — at least, it seems like levitating at first, because air once devoid of matter suddenly becomes occupied by metal on metal. she won't have much of an opportunity to parse it. ] Let's go. [ it's hushed, immediately superseded by the revving of the engine. makoto floors it, going just under top speed so as not to fling aranea and the refugee off. ] There should be a camp nearby set up by the previous waves. We'll leave him there.

[yourhatred]

They're not so difficult to fight in.

[Take it from the guy who's spent years fighting in loose fitting clothing.]

You can use the extra bulk to keep weapons hidden from enemies, or to make your movements harder to follow. But it might take some getting used to.

[He isn't surprised this girl is a fighter. The majority of those brought here have some combat experience, he's noticed, even if he wouldn't have thought so at first glance.]

[uglybug]

[Mantis may suspect that Rocket has more than 12% of a heart, but she does not know him well enough to make the judgment a certainty. He did, however, soothe her anxiety over Ego on the station, so it's enough that she wants to get to know him better.

Also, he's cute.

Adorable even.]

Oh. [It's a small noise of disgust. She makes a face.] I did not like the reptile things.

[ruffboi]

Oh, gotcha. Depends how many you wanna pile in there, right? Think it's meant for two, but you could get more if you don't mind getting snuggly.

[He says that in a tone where it's pretty clear he didn't mean for that to sound like he's flirting.]

[pappio]

[ bruh

That's all it is. Gloating served up to avarice, like the slow death of Eos wasn't enough to placate him. All this time, and Gladio's never quite come to terms with any of it— if it's vengeance that propels Ardyn, or some kind of petty, jejune impulse for wreaking havoc that thrives in him. Hate is deathless under the right impetus and Gladio's not too far from loathing the machinations of a guy who helps and spurns in the same breath.

Smashing away bits of glass, Gladio ignores the question, like he does the cuts stinging at his hands where they catch on the shards. Doesn't take a second glance to verify the inkiness streaming out from one of the hands he's sliced into (and isn't that fitting, that Ardyn's insides match his outsides, rotting and cadaverous) and braces the door from the other side, snapping off the knob. From there, it's a matter of kicking it open with the flat of one sole.

(His answer is implicit, anyways, thrumming in that steely-eyed look. No. He won't need any help. Not from him.)

Only takes a moment to rip the safety pack from the inner casing of the pod, ransacking it for any valuables before stepping out into the light. Don't mind Gladio being a hypocrite, though, and popping a question of his own. It's all that self-entitlement in his breeding speaking up. ]

The hell are you doing here?

[ Maybe he'll be smart with his answer, whatever. Gladio asks with a plain irreverence for any smart jabs, all the same. ]

[popess]

Considering I offered you a ride already..

[ the answer is yes. definitely yes. also she wants to die a little. ]

Grab a refugee if you can. We can take them to a nearby encampment and regroup. If you want, we can work together for the time being.

[ magnus was clearly more capable of heavy lifting than her. they could probably speed through the process with their combined powers. ]

[ruffboi]

Fine, I will.

[And after a couple seconds of thinking about it.]

Or I'll find a better one and not tell you and keep it for myself! Hah!

[uglybug]

[Warmth would be very nice, thank you very much. Mantis sits rather delicately on her knees, hands on her lap.] Thank you.

[She begins to reach for one of the stakes he's made, then pulls her hand back; she has not been given permission. She almost forgot herself.] You have been busy.

[winddaughter]

Now he's got it. There's hope for him yet.

"Good luck. With the list." She certainly doesn't want to try to keep track of not only their stuff, but the people that goes with it. She's recognized some faces from the station, and that's enough for her. Anyone that trickles into her sight, like him, well... maybe she'll pay attention to them, too.

Of course, that means she's gotten a little more unguarded around him, so when he mentions getting a fire built, her uncertainty and doubt isn't masked at all.

Shoot.

"...Oh. Well. I don't..." She looks away. "I've never built a fire myself."

[coolerjunpei]

[He does indeed have some marbles left to keep him sane. Like a good handful. That doesn't stop his hands from shaking or help him put up this tent, but it's something.]

Oh— yeah, sure. I, uh, guess I owe you one.

[romancekiller]

[clarke turns towards the sound of the voice and gives him a half smile at the joke. she was being completely serious about thinking it was a test among other theories she had about being brought her and all but she tries to lighten up a bit in response]

I don't know— maybe we have yet to find out. [they were only just sent down and going from experience she knows that there would be other things to test them if there hadn't been already]

[ayes]

Uh... I've been helping my mom in the kitchen as long as I can remember. I've been cooking my own meals since I was, I dunno, eight-ish? Around that?

[global]

No problem! It'll be worth it to not hear you losing your sanity, anyway.

[ No offense, it was just very worrying. She crouches down, putting a finger to her chin in thought as she looks at the pieces laid out. ]

Hmm... I think you might be missing some of the pieces. [ Which might explain why this is such a struggle. Then again, maybe she's not as good at this as she thought... ]