BZPRPG - Kentoku Archipelago

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

I remain silent.

 

This statement does not surprise me. As witness to the Executioner's interview of the Dastana heirs, I am aware of what was said. I am also aware that Dastana Jasik, regardless of his innocence in the death of Yusanora, only still breathes because I find his threat to my charge to be unbelievably immature and amateurish. For Rayuke, that conversation was a revelation about the caste system, and the effect on its people. These are lessons I have already learned.

 

For me, it is not a lesson. It is a seed of conflict. If there is to be a civil war, what will I do? My duty is to uphold the law, and protect my clan. In that situation, what laws am I to uphold? What morality do I adhere to? And if that duty brings me into conflict with the Umbralines? My answer is not hard to find. 

 

Best not to think about it.
 

"I would encourage you, Battlemaster Korae," I speak, though I am loathe to break my silence. "To tell your henchwomen to stand down. So many armed Menti, do you fear one Executioner and his assistant? If so, I encourage you to consider your allegiance, and perhaps put some time in at the Yards."

[AuRon the champion]

Ic:

 

"Perhaps another time. I've yet to grow hungry, and as they say, 'Those who eat without hunger, Will die much younger'. Or something like that."

[25K Now!]

IC: Noshima

 

"Very well."

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: Eldani Kyoshi Drakata (Odaiba)

 

Suddenly, Minami awoke, gasped, coughed blood and shattered the nearby table with her Mindarm powers. She didn't usually wake up like this, so something had gone wrong. I sigh, stand up and put my book on the chair. Then I walk hastily to Minami, and try to calm her down while grasping her shoulders. She seems very dizzy and barely concious. There is a small stream of blood flowing down her chin. A guardswoman enters, and I immediately order her to bring a towel with a strict, commanding tone. She obeys, and while she's gone I shake Minami and ask  how she is feeling. Of cource, it is obvious that she is nauseous, but it isn't clear how conscious she is or if she is feeling pain right now.

[Constructelf]

IC Minami

Minami continued to cough and seemed unusually short of breath. "I... Waterwaterwaterwater-GASP-Kuno... Attacked... In my mind, in my mind, INMYMIND!!!" She wasn't feeling well, to say the least. She hadn't yet shaken off Kuno's assault.

Edited October 27, 2014 by namcurtsnoC

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: Eldani Kyoshi Drakata (Odaiba)

 

The guardswoman returns with a towel. I grab it and order her to get a glass of water. She leaves, her long footsteps echoing in the room. I wipe off the blood and saliva on Minami's Iden. Meanwhile, I ponder her words. Kuno? Wasn't he the Fursic First Son? I'm not sure what his Menti disciplines are, but it seems like one of them is the Willhammer discipline. I was unaware that the discipline can be used against Iden-users. Minami keeps coughing, but the guardswoman returns and hands me a crystal cup filled with water. I thank her, and pour the water down Minami's throat. She has difficulty swallowing it because of the coughing, but manages to drink a little. I wait for her to stop coughing, giving her water every now and then. I have some questions to ask once she recovers.

[Constructelf]

IC Minami

Slowly, Minami's breathing returned to normal. Her coughing stopping, she looked around the room. Eldani was there, like she was when Minami and activated her mask. "Deep breath in, deep breath out," she thought to herself.

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: Eldani Kyoshi Drakata (Odaiba)

 

After a while, Minami's coughing had stopped. Now she has a cup of hot tea in her hands, and I'm sitting near her. "Now, be fully honest, why did Kuno assault your mind? What were you doing?" I ask her. I'm unfamiliar with the Willhammer discipline, so I don't know if Kuno could've possibly found out the identity of the spirit. I hope not, for I suspect that Minami was using her Iden for spying. Clan Fursic might be somewhat.. aggrevated by that.

[Constructelf]

IC Minami

"Hah... I was making my palace patrol when I noticed Rayuke leaving the Dastana Twin's apartment. I tailed him for a little bit then returned to the Dastana's place where I saw Fursic Nera and Kuno talking with the Twins. I was curious, as contact with them had been more or less silent, so I listened in. I heard them talk up until they spoke of declaring independence; then Kuno attacked me." Even now, Minami could still see... Hear... Whatever, she could still feel the waves roaring inside her head.

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: Eldani Kyoshi Drakata (Odaiba)

 

I stroked my chin thoughtfully for a moment. "Independence? Of the Dastana or the Fursic?" If it was the latter, the Dastana will potentially have a new ally in the likely civil war that is glooming above Kentoku. And because we are allies of the Dastana, this would benefit us as well.

[Constructelf]

IC Minami

"Dastana. They plan not revolution, but secession."

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: Eldani Kyoshi Drakata (Odaiba)

 

Secession? I imagined an independent confederacy, lead by rich merchants who only cared about profit. The image wasn't pleasant. "Hmm.. and we will support our sisters? How about the Fursic, Kuno and Nera? What did they say?"

[Constructelf]

IC Minami

"I'm... Not sure. They appeared ambivalent. Kuno attacked me before the conversation ended; something completely unexpected could be occurring right now..." Minami took a deep breath. "Do you think the Rora will stand for secession? Or will she treat it like any other rebellion and crush it? The Ageru and the Hogo stand by her side; they could starve and crush us any moment they wished."

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: Eldani Kyoshi Drakata (Odaiba)

 

"The world will always be ruled by the strongest. And the Umbraline have the most strength under their command. They will do everything they can to keep the Empire together. They have ruled Kentoku for millenia, and they want to keep it that way. So yes, I think the Umbraline will demand the young Rora to crush us." I picked up the book I was reading. An old tome, War: the Dance of Death. This is the only copy is existence, to my knowledge. "That is why we would need allies, or at least distractions. Clan Fursic is the greatest candidate, but they certainly don't like us any more than the Umbraline do. And the other clans? Theír Toroshu are wise enough to stay out of this." I open the book, flip some of the pages. "So, we must prepare otherwise and wait. The war hasn't began yet, maybe never will. But right now, Kentoku is a dry forest waiting to be ignited into a roaring inferno by a single spark. It would be foolish not to prepare. But I'm not sure what we can do. Yamada, Kirishima, Goto and others want to rule our clan. We cannot prepare if we are not united."

[25K Now!]

IC: Noshima

 

"Is there a plan that is your wish to undertake?"

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

It was said that one's character moulded one's destiny. It hadn't taken long for Zyla to realize that her character did not drive her to plunge into the danger and darkness of a murder inquiry, particularly not one which stretched so high into the echelons of society, and so had politely extricated herself from the investigation, wishing Harume and Reiko the best of luck in their search regardless.

 

Now, with work to be done and with the afternoon sun worryingly close to its zenith (not enough time in the day, no, not nearly enough), the young Dashi walked the island chain, trying to figure out her next steps.

 

OOC: Zyla open for interaction.

 

-Void

[The Lorax]

IC: Amaki

 

"When are we going to be setting out?" asked Amaki, finishing off her food.

 

IC (Tara): "Whenever you like" Tara replied, leaning back in her wooden chair. "There's no hurry really. It will only be an hour and a half's walk to the next hut up on the spur, and we've got the whole day ahead of us. Once we're reached it we'll be within range to take a shot at the summit when we get a day with good conditions, and if we don't, we'll have plenty of provisions to be able to wait until we do."

 

"We can take today as an easy day, and catch our breath before the big climb. I've not actually been up any higher than where we're going to day, so it might be good to take a bit of a look around, but that's not a big deal."

[25K Now!]

IC: Amaki

 

"I am rather curious about the sights," she admitted. "I guess we can look around for a bit?"

[The Lorax]

IC (Tara): "Sure. There'll be heaps of time, and we'll get up above the treeline pretty quickly. We'll be able to see for kio and kio."

[25K Now!]

IC: Amaki

 

"That will be nice."

[The Lorax]

IC (Tara): "Yeah. So let's get onto it, shall we? The sooner we get up there, the more time we have for sight-seeing."

[25K Now!]

IC: Amaki

 

Amaki nodded, moving to her feet and grabbing her gear." Let's."

[The Lorax]

IC (Tara): With their plans settled, the pair sprang into action, but it was still was quite some time before they were ready to leave. Between cleaning up after their breakfast, setting the hut to rights and divvying up the hut's stored supplies between their packs, there was a lot to do. By the time the door finally closed behind them, the sun had climbed more than half way to its peak.

 

During the night, the previous evening's fog had lifted, and from the clearing around the hut, the pair could finally get a view of the peak and the land that lay between it and themselves. The mountain's northeast flank was laid out before them, rising in layers into the sky. Around them was the deep green of the canopy forest. After only a short way (or so it seemed), it melted into the lighter shades of scrubland as the land grew steeper and the conditions harsher. In turn, that melted into the golden brown band of tussockland and, yet further up where even those hardy plants could not survive, mosses and lichens coloured the slopes pale green. Where even they gave out, the mountain's head rose above it all, towering over the land, steepest and most imposing of all. A few slashes of bright snow stood out against the dark rocks, having survived the summer unmelted, but the top was bare even of this. Koshiki was a sleeping giant that looked out over the land in its eternal might and endurance. Dasaka clans could rise and fall, but that unyielding rock would remain and outlast them all.

 

"That's our goal over there" Tara said, pointing to a point in the tussock layer, just above a band of sheer cliffs. It was further south than a direct path to the summit would have been, but would allow them an easier path when the time came. At least, it would if the accounts Tara had read from past climbers were correct. "Only about two and a half kio to walk, but half a kio above where we are now."

 

OOC: I'm basing most of this description on my own experiences climbing Mount Taranaki earlier this year. Like Koshiki, it is a long-inactive cone that is the largest a chain of volcanoes leading out to sea, though it is itself on the mainland. Both mountains are close to the coast, feature a sizable crater and are surrounded by rich farmland. Taranaki, is not, however, home to any dragons, but I hope it will provide a good analogue nonetheless.

[AuRon the champion]

Ic:

 

The only plan I have right now is to try to enjoy a brief moment of silence."

[25K Now!]

IC: Amaki

 

"Should not take too long then."

 

Amaki's eyes were transfixed upon the sight before her.

 

It was beautiful.

[The Lorax]

IC (Tara): The sight was indeed beautiful, and majestic beyond anything else on the Kentoku Archipelago. To stand on the peak would be to momentarily capture a piece of that grandeur for themselves.

 

Tearing her eyes away from the sight above, Tara directed her focus back onto the path before them, and started up the path before her. Treetops obscured the sky, and the peak waiting for them there.

[25K Now!]

IC: Amaki

 

It was painful to look away, but by sheer force of will, Amaki did so, moving after her companion. Her mind was full of ideas, of thoughts swirling all around. She had been inspired. Maybe her music may not have been the greatest, but once she returned to the ground, she would make it great.

[The Lorax]

IC (Tara): Tara followed the stony path under the trees, setting a steady, comfortable pace. The track sloped gently upwards, but grew noticably steeper as they went on. To her left and right, the tangle of thin-branched, small-leaved trees, ferns and clumps of grasses hemmed them in, reducing the world to a narrow strip. Above and in front, however, more and more could be seen as the canopy broke up and the sky ballooned out into a boundless expanse. It couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes before the track turned back on itself to step further up a ridge and Tara realised that, before she had even noticed it, the trees had melted away into a dense pack of knee-high scrub.

 

The track doubled back on itself again, heading once more towards the summit, but Tara stopped at the wide turning point to look out over the scrub and down the valley below them. She knew that if they stopped for every stunning view on this trip, they would never get anywhere, but this was the first chance to get above the trees and see the forest like a deep green cloak over the mountain's shoulders, beyond that the rolling farmland and beyond that, hazy with clouds on the horizon, the jewel of Sado. It was too much to pass up, at least for a few moments.

Edited November 3, 2014 by The Lorax

[25K Now!]

IC: Amaki

 

"It's absolutely beautiful," whispered Amaki with awe.

 

The view of Sado had taken her breath away.

[Ghosthands]

IC (Enali)

 

Enali stood in the Yards, in front of a wooden post. Every few seconds the Ageru girl thrust her hands forwards, towards the post. Sometimes nothing happened, or a weak fizzling glow came from her hands. Often, though, an amorphous blob of shimmering Soulsword energy shot forth and struck the wood, where it dispersed, leaving a small singe-mark on the wood.

 

It wasn't good enough. Besides her one impressive display in Arisaka's lesson, Enali's powers were significantly behind where they should be for a bright young Menti. At first the instructors had scolded her for 'not trying', but after a while they had realised that the girl really was doing her best, despite the disappointing results. One of the kinder teachers had sat her down and talked to her about it, saying that something was holding her back, and asking what it was. Enali didn't know.

 

Now, with riots in the streets, all the students had been told that they must be prepared to defend themselves, so Enali was practising, for whatever good it would do...

 

OOC: Enali is open for interaction.

Edited November 3, 2014 by Twelfth Ghosthands

[AuRon the champion]

Ooc: Jiyu has moved again.

 

Ic:

 

"It seems almost like you're trying too hard," a voice said behind Enali, as Herupa Jiyu approached her.

[25K Now!]

IC: Higashi

 

"Looks like she'd probably need to try harder," said another voice, with Higashi sauntering up as well.

[Ghosthands]

IC (Enali)

 

The young Menti turned around hurriedly, and gave the two adult Dasaka each a respectful bow. The male was clearly the Herupa First Son, Jiyu (who else could have so massive a frame?), and the second arrival was a Hogo woman she didn't recognise.

 

"I am doing the best I can..." she said humbly.

[Constructelf]

IC: Kaede

Behind Higashi, Kaede stood casually, staring off into space. She had followed Higashi here to get her swords fixed, or possibly get a new one. She would need to put in some weapon practice as well... Silently, she observed the young Menti trying to summon her Soulsword; she gave no comment.

Edited November 3, 2014 by namcurtsnoC

[25K Now!]

IC: Higashi

 

"Have you tried switching things up or anything like that?" asked Higashi.

[Ghosthands]

IC (Enali)

 

"What do you mean?" Enali asked inquisitively.

[25K Now!]

IC: Higashi

 

"Have you been," started Higashi, before gesturing awkwardly in an attempt to find the right words," just doing the same thing over and over again? Or have you like, tried other ways to get your Soulsword powers working stably?"

[Ghosthands]

IC (Enali)

 

"Oh, the teachers have given me lots of different exercises to do," Enali replied. "Sometimes throwing the energy, sometimes shaping it...I can do them, it's just..."

 

She gestured at the post, sending another blob of energy to strike it with a soft whump.

 

"...not as good as they think it should be..."

[25K Now!]

IC: Higashi

 

"That's pretty vague. What exactly is the success condition?"

[Ghosthands]

IC (Enali)

 

Enali shrugged.

 

"I don't know. The teachers just say it should be better than it is."