[WORLD ONE | BARRIER QUEST RESOLUTION]

[spellbindmods]

Who: Coven members interested in and a part of barrier quest
Where: The island above the ocean
When: Day
Open/Closed: Open to All

The initial setting information found here should be utilized for threads here.

This information is useful for this post, though please read the post entirely before coming back to read this info. Information in red will be known OOCly, but not necessarily ICly, especially by those inhabitants of the island.

Upon entering the barrier, the first thing you'll notice is that the scenery isn't exceptionally shocking. It's an abandoned city, more or less. The buildings are tall but in a great state of disrepair. Some of them have crumbled already with others surrounding them destroyed by the fallen debris. The majority of these buildings are bleached in color, obviously affected by the brightness of the barrier. Shield your eyes, or you might be, too. A ▢ These buildings, despite being decrepit and appearing water-logged, still may hold some resources or clues. Upon entering any location, rotten food can be found, as well as everyday household items. These will be written in languages and on topics that are familiar -- some are even copies that can be found in the Palai's library back in Aimintas. There is some freedom here about what characters can find. There may even be a rare newspaper clipping that shows a picture of figures that look suspiciously like Uvi. Otherwise characters are free to loot.

Venturing further into the island -- made easier by flight -- travelers will eventually come upon an area that doesn't look as drastically unkempt. These houses have been repaired. They've seen some damage, of course, but there are obvious signs that they've been lived in. One not-so-apparent sign of established life on the island is the presence of boobytrapping. Hidden rope net traps are located in and around the area, as well as more violent forms of trapping. B ▢ Those still living on this island don't want outside intruders on their property. It's still a mystery who these people are, but they don't appear to be welcoming. Some traps are made with rope that can snatch up coven members, while others are covered holes in the ground. Other traps are made with trigger switches that sling out blades and arrows. If you've seen it on TV, it's possible to fall into on this island. C ▢ Those who survive or dodge the boobytraps can also investigate these houses. Looting is possible for many of the empty dwellings and recently salted meat can be found within them. This is a surefire sign of life -- take items from these houses at your character's own risk and they should congregate within them quickly if they feel like you must do so.

Finally, the creatures that have been living on this island within that barrier finally reveal themselves. These inhabitants are immediately recognizable as Uvi, though they do have drastic similarities. These creatures are pale, with gill slits that look like they've scarred over. Their eyes are much lighter and their scales are rougher, not wicked sleek by the water they obviously aren't swimming in. D ▢ Similarly to the Uvi, however, these beings are at first very violent. Once they see a humanoid-looking coven member, they'll go in for the kill. Unlike the Uvi your characters are used to, these beings have real weapons -- some even have guns. Defending yourself is possible, but be quick and act fast -- you're more likely to win if you dodge their attacks with a team member. However, approaching with conversation -- or if you realize eventually that these creatures do speak an understandable language -- will net different results. Talk to them and discover that they don't trust you, human creature. They fought desperately to be rid of you and to live their life peacefully, and yet here you are again. If they see a display of magic from you, their demeanor will change. You aren't those humans -- you're different with a different energy. Coven members are then taken to a central meeting place where even more strange-looking Uvi are located. At first these Uvi too are on high alert, though the energy that these human creatures exude is different from their predecessors. It's not a sick, synthetic magic, but instead is something much more -- as the Uvi refer to it -- holy. These Uvi aren't killers or savages, though they are hungry. They want to learn more about the world outside and what all has happened. The water has reappeared and the barrier has been broken...if these people aren't the humans of before, where are those humans? What has happened to the world while they were sealed away? Most importantly, where are the rest of the Uvi that were lost with time. Are they still alive, or do these magical humans even know where they are? If these quandries are confusing to the coven members at all, the Uvi have an offering of information. This is what they know and how they've lived life up to this point. The question is now this: how do they move forward from here? E ▢ For those of you that want their characters to get involved with the island action without taking things too seriously, these Uvi are much more palatable than their ocean-dwelling relatives. They're very akin to the Palai in their fascination and obsession with these "holy humans." In fact, it's as if the two cultural extremes collided together. The Uvi lack the polyamorous nature and forceful pushiness, but they are interested in talking and learning about outside magic. F ▢ This is the prompt that's centered around Barrier Quest alumni and newbies. How much does your character tell the Uvi about what has been going on in Aimintas? How many puzzle pieces can your character thread together -- the oceanic Uvi collecting these bones to reunite with the rest of their species or how their ancestors essentially created and attempted to destroy the Palai? These things may need to be discussed beforehand. Additionally, how trustworthy are these Uvi? What other pressing questions should be talked over before any decisions are made.

Comments

[wingfic]

i. journey to the island

[Those traveling along with Barrier Quest may have noticed a dragon about large enough to carry two people, looking oddly like a green-and-brown colorswapped version of Mikleo's dragon form, carrying loads of the insulated Elto bones up to the island. Once she drops off the last load, the dragon wings will fold in on themselves, there'll be a subtle . . . shift in the air, and where the dragon was once standing will be a skinny redheaded girl.

She shakes herself out, rolling her shoulders back like there might be a crick in her neck. Talk to her?]


ii. indiana jones she is not

Ah--!

[That's a shriek that rapidly becomes a squawk, as Tara-Fay, studying the abandoned city and the objects it holds--there may be a whisk in her hand--forgets to keep an eye on where she's standing and braces one foot on a covered pit.

Passersby will see a girl falling ungracefully into a pit trap, disappearing from view. There's no crashing noise as she hits the ground--instead, after a moment, a titmouse-like bird is flying out of the hole at an advanced speed.]


iii. combo breaker

[Tara-Fay hasn't been paying the most attention to goings-on between the Palai and the Uvi, besides to be annoyed by the inconvenience both have posed to her at disparate times. But a group of Uvi capable of communication, living in a city like humans, warlike but capable of backing down when not faced with imminent danger--well, even she can tell that's a shocking development.

She reaches out hesitantly with telepathy to express her surprise at these happenings, but can only manage a,]

What? Seriously, what?

MASS TELEPATHY TO ALL COVEN MEMBERS ON THE ISLAND:

[rebells]

[After everyone has gotten a good look at the Uvi and misunderstandings have been straightened out, a message comes through:]

We should probably decide what to do about these . . . new Uvi. Specifically, how much to tell them.

And we should probably do it quickly, too. We don't have very much time.


((Assume all replies under this post are public to everyone unless otherwise stated!))

[deem]

Guess that depends. How much can we actually trust these guys?

[Because 9S for one is really reluctant to simply accept this history they're presented with. Doesn't look too favorable for some other-planet offshoot of a race his own regards as noble]

We got to know the Palai, and any choice we make here will influence them.

[rebells]

We can't. Their story is consistent with what we know about the situation, but that's the most we can say.

We could simply ask the Palai. On the other hand . . . .

[The Uvi are people too, is what he means. Ethically speaking, shouldn't they get a say in their own future?]

[deem]

What I question is whether they won't become hostile toward the Palai too.

Especially if we don't have long here, that's an issue.

[Trust doesn't come that easy after so many backstabs]

[guerrilla]

I don't trust 'em as far as I can throw 'em, so I don't see why we should tell them anything at all.

[Sure, these Uvi here certainly seem more level-headed than the ones they'd fought off, but if they end up becoming more disagreeable in the future, the coven won't be here to bail the Palai out again.]

[rebells]

[Dispassionately:]

Did you have the same attitude towards the Palai when you arrived here?

[guerrilla]

Apples and oranges. I wasn't sitting on any important information when I met the Palai.

[And he didn't cooperate very well when they were asking about his weapons or himself, either. Trusting people is bad, and also for squares.]

[rootbound]

Let's try not to drop anything that would leave cause for serious animosity growing between the Palai and these Uvi, yes? They'll still have to deal with each other even when the lot of us are long gone.

[rebells]

That's true. We may only be speeding or slowing the day when the two come face-to-face.

[rootbound]

Honestly, if we could bring this island down to the land, or make a tunnel through the ocean, I'd suggest doing so. I'm of the mind that making it impossible for them to isolate themselves from each other through the ages might actually be the best thing to do.

That point's moot, but I'm for facilitating their meeting and then mostly leaving it to them to work out telling each other their histories on their own.

[lunala]

We should tell them something about what happened to the other Uvi. [Moon thinks they at least deserve to know that the Uvi outside wanted to help them.] But we should try to make it so the Uvi and Palai can get along from now on.

[rebells]

[Oh, Moon. So innocent.]

There's not much we can do about that. It's up to them whether they get along.

[lunala]

We could help introduce them, couldn't we? Get them off to the right start!

i'm late i'm sorry

[imsorey]

The basic details of the situation should be enough to let them both understand what happened, and might help them to discuss it on our own even after we're gone. We can start the bridge, but they're the ones that need to keep building it, so to speak.

[teratias]

A is for abandoned
Waver had joined those coming up to the island at the last minute. He hadn't been sure he'd be of use, but...but Iskandar would have chided him for not going, and trying to follow the man's example in the past had worked out pretty well.

The abandoned buildings were more warrily approached. Waver could remember entering the sewers and finding the horrors of Caster's lair. He did not want to repeat that, and indeed, the first few steps he took into the nearest building spoke to intense nerves.

It was only after he stepped on a pile of old, damp newsclippings that curiosity won out over fear, and Waver dropped to his knees to examine them.

"No way," he said, after flipping through a few pages to an image of a familiar figure. "No way."

B is for Booby trap

"SHIT!" Waver screeched. He had been walking around the island as carefully as possible, only to trip on a trap. What came out of no where was a two for one combo of blades and arrows, with two arrows lodging into his lower right arm, and then a single loop wrapping around his leg and hoisting him up off the ground. It was cartoonish, and Waver was furious.

He looked a fool. And he had to be rescued.

Following a chorus of dirty language, Waver focused himself just long enoug to shoot up a sudden plume of smoking, hoping to draw someone's attention. Anyone's?

Damnit.

F is for future

"Did Qri know any of this?"

That was the first question Waver asked outloud, when the land-Uvi revealed their origins and what it was that had befallen them. How the Palai had started, and why they were preyed on. What the hell was the point of any of this anyway? Qri wanted the bones of some creatures for their power, just the same as anyone else. But where the ocean Uvi wanted some strange version of a reunion, Qri just needed power.

It was too much to comprehend. Waver sat quietly, his mind a million miles away and deeply unsure about what ought to be done. If anything was to be done? Should the Palai know? What about other groups of ocean Uvi, if they were even out there.

The number of what-ifs were astounding. Terrifying too. Waver scrubbed at his face, as if that would give him the answer.

"Is it even on us to do anything about this?"

[wingfic]

Nothing, for a few minutes, and then . . . a bird?

Yes, that was definitely a small, sparrow-sized bird, circling once, twice around the plume of smoke and then Waver's form. It flapped its wings in place for a few moments, hesitating, then starting to move away--but just as quickly, it lurched back towards him, landing at his feet.

Waver would feel a shift in the air, see a sort of wobbling in the bird's form, and in the next moment, where the bird had been, was a girl, sitting cross-legged on the ground and looking up at him grumpily.

She looked at him and then glanced away, not quite meeting his face, as though eye contact was something she disliked. "I can get you down from there," she offered, finally. "Probably. But it's going to suck."

[teratias]

Waver was, somehow, not surprised by having a member of the coven transform from a bird to a human. Vaguely he recalled someone mentioning other shifters, but hell if he could remember names right now.

"Probably," he reiterated. "That's not exactly reassuring!" Wait. No. He wanted help, yelling was a bad plan.

"...What did you have in mind?"

[needmetoo]

A. What's this?

[A human city shouldn't be all that unusual for many, but it still holds curiosities for some. Xion, for instance, and her youn Palai, named Curly. She hadn't been sure if it was okay to leave them with anyone, so she'd brought them with. And while normally that might end with Xion running around trying to keep them in check, instead it's led to a rather different effect.

Instead, Xion and Curly can often be found staring at obscure household objects. Like a bookend, or an eggbeater, or a spork, or some other uncommon-but-not-unrealistic item of your choice. Both are wearing identical looks of confusion and wonder.

The young Palai makes a questioning noise.]

I don't know what it is either, Curly. Maybe we can find someone else who does?

E. This is my child

[Once communication has been established, it's clear that not only are the Uvi curious about Xion and her magic, they're curious about Curly too. Which, given history here on Aimintas, is a source of unease for Xion. Curly, for their party, seems anxious, clinging to Xion's leg.

The Uvi aren't being pushy like the Palai can be, But there's enough of them nearby Xion's feeling more than a bit boxed in. Anybody nearby might get a mental message, at some point.]

Does anybody mind, um... coming over?

[Just so she's not fielding all of this herself.]

F. She's not even one guys

[As time wears on, Curly wears themselves out. Thankfully Xion's been working on upgrading the sling she used when they were just an egg, so Curly is dozing comfortably against her chest in something like a homemade baby carrier. She's retreated from the larger group, sitting on a rock nearby, close enough to keep in sight of everyone else, but far enough away that Curly can sleep and she can think.

After all, there has been a lot to think about.]

It's all so much. And... and we're leaving soon. What if we make the wrong choice, and people get hurt?

[Need a break from all the heavy news and developments? She won't mind company, so long as you're quiet.]

[rebells]

[The response comes almost immediately.]

I can be there in a minute. Are you in trouble? What's the situation?

[needmetoo]

I, um... well, it's not trouble, exactly? But they're asking questions about Curly.

[It might be a bad thing, might not be. But she's still uneasy all the same.]

F

[358]

... That's always a worry.

[ Roxas strolls over, leaning against the rock. He's been keeping to himself, but now that they're leaving, he figures he should deal with any unfinished business-- who knows if he can trust that they'll actually all stay together? He knows nothing about the coven at all.

Xion's definitely unfinished business, though. Even if he's pretty sure it's more complicated than just being able to finish it with a chat. ]

If someone gets hurt from your decisions, you can always make up for it later. You don't wanna hesitate all the time, you know?

[needmetoo]

I guess. We really can't hesitate now anyway, can we? When... when we're leaving so soon.

[She gently hefts Curly a little higher, a little more protectively against her.]

I guess... I was already thinking, about trying to come back, if... when I get my corridors back. For them. But... I can check, and see if everything's okay, too...

[She's still uneasy, but when she thinks about it like that, it's a bit easier.]

a!

[heartkey]

[ While he's had some issues and awkwardness with Xion so far, upon walking into the same room as her and overhearing that, he can't just ignore it — that's not like him.

Instead, he smiles a little, and speaks up to explain the spork she has in her hand. Hopefully he's not too much of a shock to hear. ]

That's so that you can eat soup and something else without changing what you're using. Like soup and fish or something.

[needmetoo]

[She doesn't know what to think, really, when she hears his voice and turns around to see him there. It... It'd been quite a while though, and he didn't seem to nearly so... tense... As last time.

Curly seems able to sense her unease, shifting a bit closer to her leg. But... If he's not going to be upset or bothered by what happened last time, she can try too. So she does.]

It... It looks like it'd be hard to pick up anything, though.