❪ introlog #3 ❫ GUERRILLA FORCES.

[natha]

You have spent the last few days on Thesa Station, taking in the knowledge that your world is no more. Perhaps you've made some friends (or maybe an enemy or two). Either way, you aren't expected to spend all of your time on the Station. El Nysa needs you, after all, and you promised you'd help the planet thrive. Are you ready? Submit any AC eligible thread of participating in this log's prompts for Two (2) Wyver REP points HERE. JUMP INTO THE DEEP END     As soon as the Natha begin to observe that the new arrivals are beginning to wake, a message goes out to all refugees currently on El Nysa with an unfamiliar ping on their phone. Hi everyone. It's Sael. The people that were recovered from stasis recently are going to need your help getting to El Nysa. It's not the Teleporter this time, though. I highly recommend that you come back, or you'll miss out on some pretty important stuff. When everyone is gathered aboard Thesa Station, characters may notice that working access to the Teleporter has been blocked. Stepping inside and attempting to teleport back to El Nysa will yield absolutely nothing. Luckily, it isn't long before you're given instructions on how to proceed. Hello everyone. We're doing things a little differently this time around. Darma senses the presence of foreign forces; she says they're distant right now, but we know it won't be long before we'll need your help to protect El Nysa on the spacefront. Some of you have piloted spaceships or flightsuits before, haven't you? Please lend the others your help and expertise. You'll be flying down to El Nysa to get some practice maneuvering in zero gravity. I encourage you to come back and practice with other people; learning how to work with different personalities is important. We've prepared spaceships for you in the Hangar. For this type of spacecraft, it's important that you truly work together to achieve harmony with your co-pilot. It's the only way to ensure a smooth trip. True to his word, there are plenty of ships waiting to be boarded in the Hangar. Although more than two people can fit in a ship, there are only two main pilot seats. Anyone who's piloted any sort of ship, mecha, or even a car will be able to figure out the controls. But that's not the only thing to figure out. GET IT TOGETHER. When the ship glides out from the hangar opening, it soon becomes apparent that the stability of the ship is highly dependent on emotion sharing between the two pilots. It is imperative that both parties reach an emotional equilibrium: you must be calm, focused, almost zen in your demeanor. Any sign of distress, anger, or negative emotions will be felt by the ship. Not being able to help each other reach a calm and happy emotional state will result in wild movements, difficulty steering, or malfunctions in the electrical circuitry. JUST KIDDING. Were you and your partner able to find shared emotional compatibility and maneuver the ship? Good. Just when you've got a good smooth drift going, Sael's voice cheerfully resonates in your mind. Great! Good job! This is kinda boring now, though. Hey guys, think fast! You don't have more than two seconds after his voice fades out of your mind to notice that a wave of massive meteorites are flying directly towards your ship at breakneck speed. How well can you avoid getting hit while maintaining your cool? Thankfully, if you're not great at it, the ship comes equipped with protective barriers that prevent any structural damage from physical impacts. Think of them as training wheels; getting struck by a meteorite will still give you nasty whiplash and nausea, your ship will likely spin wildly until you can regain control, and it will probably be pretty painful. But you and the ship will be unharmed. When you've had enough of being beaten around by meteorites or having to deal with the insufferable personalities of others, the ship will naturally gravitate to land on a particular island in El Nysa. The island that you land on is outfitted with docks and one or two small shacks where a hunter or fisherman could spend their nights on a long hunting expedition, but they don't look like they've been used in a while. It's quickly obvious that this isn't the main city of Wyver, and you have two paths ahead to choose from: cross an old stone bridge to the mainland and continue on foot, or get into one of the available simple rowboats and row your way. The path on land is longer, but safer, while going by water is faster, but more treacherous. Better get going. LAND ON BARBAROUS COASTS     Though the water has been relatively calm on your journey, the rowing has proved to be tiresome for all your party member's arms. There is reprieve if you leave the open water, in a cavern where you can tie your boat to a rock and stretch your legs. If you want to go for a dip, there are naturally curved waterslides in the rock face and platforms of rock jutting out up high perfect for diving/jumping off of. The water is warm and there's dry land; this is the ideal place to rest for the night. But the giant skull that sits in the middle of the site may put a damper on the mood. WORKS OF ART. Upon closer inspection of the skull, you'll notice that the exterior is actually made up of artfully carved white rock. Those that investigate it will find two entrances: the mouth, which can be climbed into; and around the side, where the ear would be. Inside is a more spacious cave, riddled with tools that are dirty and rusty with disuse. In the center of the cave is what looks like a shallow pool, although it has long since run dry. Within the pool's dry crater sit... bones. Bones from all kinds of creatures litter the floor, and the walls are lined with intricate paintings portraying death, feast, and celebration, faded and cracked with time. The bones are real, and while there is no indication where they came from before winding up here and many of them are in pieces, several are whole enough to be identified as distinctly animal or human. If your party isn't put off enough by the decor to leave their only refuge for the evening, they may set up camp here (unless they want to sleep in their boats). There is dry wood to gather for a campfire, and it's certainly the perfect atmosphere for ghost stories. But as the night falls, the sound of water flowing outside slowly begins to become more distant. All at once, your companions are no longer themselves; their voices dull to a whisper, their language one you have never heard before. Your campfire sputters down to embers and the cavern is lit instead by a faint glow coming from the paintings on the walls. As you watch, several tall, robed figures carrying another limp, shrouded figure enter the cavern. They have tools in hand, and as two lay their motionless companion into the shallow pool of water, the others raise their blades. With a vibrant flash of blue from the paintings lit across the walls, you come back to yourself; the fire is full and crackling, the pool is dry. Nothing else will occur as the night goes on, but the experience leaves you with a sense of foreboding... and yearning. After a long night's rest, good or not, the journey ahead is not far at all. You can see the coastline, and Wyver's walls aren't far behind. However, it begs the question of why your rowboat was so heavily equipped. The back ends of your oars are carved to a sharp point, the net under your seats is too heavy duty for any normal fishing excursion, and you'd do well not to pull the strings wrapped around those canvas balls without throwing them first, unless you want a faceful of gunpowder and a noise like shotgun fire that will make your ears ring. FROM THE DEPTHS. At first, there were simply a few ripples in the water before the bow of your boat. Minutes pass where you continue to row freely, but dark, long shadows begin to appear out of the corner of your eye. Ripples turn into bumps under your feet, and if you weren't paying attention before, you certainly have to now. The head of a sea serpent breaches the water's surface, mouth wide and teeth sharp. You cannot possibly see all of the beast in the short span of time you have, but what you can see that it's possibly the length of three of your rowboats. You best not have wasted your supplies, because it wastes no time in snapping towards your head. ABOUT THE SERPENTS: The sea serpents attack by striking in high, arching swoops over the boat and back into the water. Their scales are softer and thinner than a dragon's, so they are susceptible to any weapon or magic that can pierce. Characters may use what has been made available in the boats and their own powers to take them down at medium difficulty, but if they delay for any reason, they will proceed to snap the boat in half and leave them to swim the rest of the way. The number of serpents that can be encounter are limited to 1 per boat outing! If a character brings back parts of the thing, it can be sold on the market. The prices are: 500 silver for a fully intact head 50 silver for one of the following: several teeth, scales, or blood 200 silver for all three at once (teeth, scales, blood) A QUIET PLACE     The jungles outside Wyver's city limits are sprawling and mysterious. Deep in the wilderness there is an innate eeriness, a quiet mysticism that permeates the lush foliage all around you. If you've wandered around Wyver's territories before, you might have some idea of what to expect, but if you're brand new to this world—well, best of luck. Here, inland from the water, the trees are dense enough to cast the jungle floor in darkness in some places, while others let the sunlight filter in to expose creatures great and small—among other things. In the thick of the jungle, history before that of the current Wyver can be found, if one knows where to look. NATURE VS. NATURE? Wyver's jungles are teeming with more species of plants and wildlife than even the natives can name. After that rough landing stirred up the island and nearby land, the jungle is uneasy. Even if the group fresh from the Station scatters, there's no easier way to become an obvious target for nature's curiosity than how you got here. Maybe you encounter a Cutpurse Willow, a tree known for wrapping its hanging vine-like branches around anything that brushes past underneath it. Loose items in your pockets? Glasses? A weapon over your shoulder? Much like a venus fly trap closes around its food, the viney branches of this tree coil around anything that comes in contact with its leaves. Once grabbed, the vines begin to rise back up into the canopy, and these trees are quite tall—better grab your things before you have to do some climbing! Who knows what other lost items you might find up there, though... Or maybe you'll find yourself somehow not encountering... anything. Instead, you'll start to wonder: did I pass by that tree already? Or have I seen that stream before? Somehow you've gotten turned around, and no matter what methods you take to mark your path, you always seem to wind up right back where you started. But there aren't any predators here; listen closely, and all you'll hear is the innocent trilling song of the Duldrums, creatures that have yet to be studied in detail due to their ability to lose trackers easily among the foliage. Oddly, these creatures respond to conversation and don't appear hostile... but where exactly were you going, again? Or, you run into something else entirely! The forest is the home for many creatures from many worlds; who knows what you may encounter? A HISTORY LESSON. Something these jungles are rich in is history. Throughout the area there are all kinds of relics of the past to find, from crumbled ruins to the bones of fallen dragons. It seems that both these things fell where they stood and have remained untouched since, preserved only as much as nature will allow. After a long day's trek through the jungle, this is as good a place as any to rest. What's out here? You might find yourself stopping to lean against the ribcage of a dragon, left standing as a memorial to the great beast that left it. The people of Wyver revere their dragons both living and dead, and while some of these bones seem to be moderately taken care of (plants cleared away, no animal nests resting on them, etc.), they are very purposefully not moved. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to change that. You may also come across building ruins from the people who would, generations later, settle in what is now Wyver. Rudimentary and mostly stone and old wood, these buildings were once homes and meeting places for the people. One notable ruin is mostly the floor of what was once an oblong room; look closely and you'll see runes and other symbols carved into the stones, weathered with time. If you draw them or otherwise bring this information to the natives of Wyver, they seem to not know what you're talking about—or they don't want to answer you at all. Wherever you stop to rest, there are very few predators in this area, so you should be safe to camp for a little while! WELCOME TO WYVER     After your trek, whichever way you went, you'll wind up in Wyver! Unlike when the first refugees arrived to Olympia's outpost, there isn't any fanfare this time; you're given a lukewarm welcome and left to your own devices. There are places to see and businesses to be aware of here in Wyver, but other than that, the city is yours to explore. FINAL OOC NOTE     An AC-eligible thread for 2 WYVER REP POINTS may be submitted from this log. SUBMIT THE THREAD HERE by DECEMBER 19th 11:59 PM EST. We will no longer be providing overflow posts. In an event where the post hits CAPTCHA, players are advised to move threads to an overflow post on their character journals or create their own catch-all post. These threads remain eligible for AC, AC Rewards, and REP. 1 SILVER = 1 US DOLLAR. QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[godslay]

[ Gamora is incredibly accomplished when it comes to keeping her cool in otherwise distressing situations, and, like Peter, her irritation smooths away as soon as they have to deal with the ship again.

She frowns, looking around the cockpit, before she glances over at Peter again. ]

I think... [ Slowly, carefully. ] ... you might have a point.

[ Her tone is even, level, not wanting to test the ships'... mood?

Something prickles along her spine, and she cocks her head, focusing more on the sensation. It feels... like a connection, like she's in tune with the pulsing of the ship's engines, with the beating of—

Peter's heart?

When he breathes, so does she – purely on instinct, inhaling deeply and following his rhythm. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter's perceptive when he wants to be, but not quite so perceptive as to figure out the synchronized rhythm of their breathing, the sensation of Gamora's heartbeat.

What he does know is that the ship is being awful finicky when they get mad, so maybe he should stop doing that.

(A tall order, considering Peter's current moods lately, so they might be shit out of luck.)

In another time, her acknowledgment of his point would have him grinning at her, reminding her that, for once, he was right. Now, though, he struggles to regain his composure, and the tingling he feels along his spine is ignored in favor of trying to quell that barbed rolling in his gut, that anger and frustration and the fresh, open wound of that betrayal.

It's apparently deeply unhelpful as he mutters to himself, ]

Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm—

[ But what kind of ship runs on emotions? What kind of ship would run its stabilizers, its steering, its everything on whether or not a dude could avoid getting angry?

Predictably, the ship's interior lights flicker wildly. ]

Fuck.

[ —which makes it worse. ]

[godslay]

[ Shutting down emotions has long since Gamora’s means of survival, and this is no different.

Except that it is.

She can’t cut herself off entirely, because there’s something else on the periphery of her awareness, something that prickles with irritation in the wake of her own blunt disconnect. It doesn’t feel like her own, and she can’t force it out— ]

Peter.

[ Can she feel his frustration? Is it his? It doesn’t have the familiarity of what she might recognize, especially since she can’t tamp it down, and in a split-second urge, she reaches across the space between the pilot seats to rest a hand on Peter’s shoulder.

Light, but— an effort to ground them both. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ His gaze immediately goes to her hand, where it rests against his shoulder, and he stares at it openly before following the line of her arm over to her face.

(And for a second, startled as he is, he betrays the complicated knot of emotions tangling itself in his chest. Fear and sadness and shame for being so deceived, rage for what Ego had done to him, to his mother, to his family—)

But he shakes his head, turning to look out the viewshield. He takes a deep breath, holding it in his lungs before releasing it through his lips. ]

I'm fine.

[ And he does, at least, sound it, and the flickering panels seem to calm. ]

I'm good now.

[godslay]

[ The way he looks at her— it’s too complicated to piece apart right now, to even begin unknotting and untangling. This isn’t the time or the place for it, and she knows she can’t say anything in offering, but…

That touch is something.

The ship readjusts, seems to be functioning properly, and so with a gentle squeeze of his shoulder, she pulls her hand away. ]

Then let’s go.

[ Because she’ll follow his lead on this one. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Things go much more smoothly, now that he’s trying to keep a lid on that complicated coil of— whatever the hell that all is. For a while, he decides that keeping chatter to a minimum to focus on staying calm is the best course of action. In the quiet, though, he loses his cool, here and there, when his focus slips, or when things get a little too quiet that he’s alone with his thoughts. The third time the ship dips, Peter lets out an irritated sound, grunting with the effort of correcting its course. ]

Can we talk about something?

[ A bit of frustration bleeds into his voice, though he takes another deep breath. ]

Anything. It’s just— too quiet.

[godslay]

[ Gamora doesn't comment when the ship drifts off course – not terribly, not enough to be concerned – but instead, focuses on maintaining her composure. She matches her breathing to Peter's, tries to force her own to stay slow and steady.

He wants her to talk about something – anything, he says. She hesitates for a moment, trying to come up with something that feels like a safe conversation, that won't potentially upset the ship. ]

There are plants on the surface that will make you float.

[ ... There. That's something.

This was your weekly episode of "Random Fun Facts with Gamora." ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He opens his mouth to respond, but then he registers what she’s saying, and—

He pauses.

Then, after a second of thought, ]

Wait, what? Really?

[ A+ conversationalist. Really making use of that +2 Charisma, Quill. ]

[godslay]

[ She nods, glancing away from the viewshield to look over at him. ]

They have small seeds that are... sticky. They lift you off the ground, and the more there are, the higher you go.

[ She looks moderately annoyed by the information, if only because it had been an absurd experience in the training module. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He catches her gaze when she looks over, and he sees the annoyance in her expression. Slowly, he smiles at her, a little disbelieving. ]

Firsthand experience?

[godslay]

Only in the simulations.

[ She wants to be clear about that part, because she hasn't been embarrassed by those stupid plants in real life. ]

But, apparently, they're on the planet, too.

welp i guess i granted you access too but also

[nostalgiabomb]

( if you wanted to continue! )