[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

[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?"

[wingfic]

Tara-Fay shrugged, half-hunched in on herself. "I was going to climb up and cut you down," she said. Then her expression hardened. "But I don't have to, you know."

[teratias]

"Don't offer to help someone and then double back!" Waver groaned, flailing his arms. That caused a chain reaction, and he swayed gently as a result. He threw his hands up, which meant the tips brushed against the ground.

"Or if you're worried about dropping me or something, go get another set of hands just! I can feel all the blood rushing to my head here!"

[wingfic]

She blinked, watching him flail. "Yeah," she said, "maybe don't . . . do that." This guy was weirdly excitable, although she guessed if she was hanging upside down, she might feel more of a sense of urgency.

Shrugging, she got to her feet and began to climb the tree Waver was tied into. She wasn't the most altruistic person out there, but she had never really been about to just leave him there. Hopefully this would work. Once she was within reach of the branch he was tied to, she took out a knife from her back pocket and began to saw at the rope.

It wasn't exactly a big knife. This could take a while . . . .

[teratias]

Waver's eyes followed her up the tree, and he fixed on the knife as it sawed through the rope.

Slowly.


So slowly.


So damn slowly.

Waver tried not to groan or complain about the amount of time it was taking, but a long, tired sigh came out of him anyway. He couldn't help that, this entire situation was just embarrassing.

[wingfic]

Yeah, they were probably going to be here a while. This was a pretty strong rope.

Tara-Fay made a face down at him. "I'm going as fast as I can," she said, with not a little amount of petulance, and continued to saw.

[teratias]

"I know!" Waver yelled back. It wasn't snappish, for once, but it was followed with a far softer sigh. "I know. Would swinging back and forth or something help fray the rope more or?"

[wingfic]

"Uh. I don't know." A student of physics, she was not. "Maybe?"

She had cut about halfway through the rope at this point, although it was fraying faster now, struggling under the weight of Waver's body.

[teratias]

"We'll find out."

Waver put a little more weight into his movements, the whole thing looking like a weird squiggle at first. But after a few moments, there was some kind of swinging motion, enough to take advantage at the fraying rope.

"How's it looking?"

[wingfic]

The rope was indeed fraying faster, although Waver swinging to and fro was making the sawing a little more difficult. "There's not much left," Tara-Fay answered, and then shut her mouth. It might have been appropriate to say something reassuring here, like just hold on! or you'll be down soon, but that wasn't really her way. She liked to talk as little as possible.

[teratias]

"Good!"

And with one final swing, Waver hoped he'd be free. Free to....

...to launch himself off to the side and into some bushes, that had been just waiting for him to make a fool of himself. From within the bushes was a familiar, furious cry by now.

"DAMNIT!"

[wingfic]

Tara-Fay stared after him from her perch in the tree, nonplussed. (It did not occur to her to ask if he was all right.) Then, without a word, she sheathed her knife and began climbing down, moving to stand next to his slumped form in the bushes.

Oh, right.

"You're . . . okay, right?"

[teratias]

"Yeah," Waver groaned, taking a few moments to marinate in his own embarrassment about the situation. "Fine. Just fine."

When he finally picked himself up and out of the bushes, he was covered in leaves and looked pretty much done with everything. "Thanks for cutting me down."

[wingfic]

She shrugged, a little bit self-conscious about being thanked. "You're welcome."

And then silence. Tara-Fay was the sort of person who commanded awkward silences.

[teratias]

Waver stood beside the bush, now quiet and unsure of what was next. He looked from Tara-Fey to the bush, then to the abandoned buildings just off in the distance.

"You gonna keep flying over the area to see what this place is like then?"

[wingfic]

Oh. Yeah. (She had actually been flying to escape a trap, but Waver didn't need to know that.) "Yeah, I guess."

She turned to go, but hesitated, unable to escape the anxious feeling that something should go here. "I'm--Tara-Fay," she offered finally, looking awkward as she spun back around to look at him. "Uh. What's your name?"

[teratias]

"Waver Velvet," was the response, straight forward and uneventful. His eyes moved back up to the sky, frowning.

"You think there's any of these traps higher up?"

[wingfic]

"Probably," she said, with a sigh. "At least close to the houses. To stop anyone from climbing in."

[teratias]

"...Great."

Waver breathed out, his hands finding their way to his pockets. "Be careful then, I guess."

[wingfic]

" . . . thanks," she said, after a pause and a probing look, as though she hadn't been sure he was serious at first. She certainly hadn't expected him to express concern for her after they'd just met. "I usually am."