tushanshu_logs | EVENT | LANDFALL

Entry tags:

EVENT | LANDFALL | ZESHORA

Characters: ALL!
Date: June 17th to July 8th
Location: Zeshora
Situation: Tu Vishan has washed up near the cities of Atoce and Uessaire.
Warnings/Rating: Add warnings as needed.

The cities of Zeshora were renowned across all of Konryu as works of art, and even with the upheaval which sank and destroyed many of them centuries prior, that distinction remains evident. The Erol'a will recount, if asked, a terrible series of earthquakes and resultant tsunamis that rolled over Zeshora, and how great chunks of the continent simply dropped away. Zeshora was one of the oldest continents, and its landmasses upon the backs of long-dead Great Turtles had been so constant, that no one had even thought it possible such a thing could have happened.

Testament to the Erol'a's resilience however, they adapted and reclaimed the cities that had fallen to, or just below, sea level. Arches, pillars and soaring ceilings dominate the architecture in both cities, and every surface is painstakingly decorated with tiny inlaid shells and coral, turning every hall and room into a mosaic of colour. It's not uncommon for Erol'a dwellings to have multiple stories, and likewise it's not unlikely to have at least a few of those levels under sea level. So it's entirely possible to have one's upstairs be above water, and one's downstairs be below the water! Imagine having to take a swim to get a midnight snack. Of course, the Erol'a don't find that strange at all. Likewise, it's perfectly normal to them to walk down the hallways of their homes in ankle, knee or waist-deep water, something that the Foreigners and even some kedan might take some getting used to. The water temperature during the day is a delightful 80℉/26℃, and about ten degrees cooler throughout the night, so it's pleasant for nearly everyone.

LINKS
Atoce - City of Pearls | Uessaire - City of Lilies | Ollesse - The Coral Ruins | Secessi - The Floating Reefs | Hatchling Messages
Astegune | Landfall Surprise | Landfall Update - Jun 23 | OOC Post

OOC
Please direct questions to the OOC post! You can either use the areas described under header, or create your own -- don't feel you have to be limited to threading only in the locations mentioned in the starters! Just don't forget to label your top-levels with specific locations (eg the Height or the Deep).

ACTIVITY CHECK NOTE: Due to the late-month timing of this landfall, threads from this log can be counted toward either June or July AC. Just don't use the same comment thread for both and you'll be fine!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

While most of the Erol'a stay on their islands, by the end of the first day Foreigners may hear rumours of a handful coming into Keeliai. The kedan have been giving names and (not always good) directions. For the rest of landfall, some Foreigners may have some Erol'a asking after some of them specifically -- if asked, they will quickly explain they have a message from their turtle.

Chances are this will happen in Keeliai, since the Erol'a are setting out specifically to ensure the messages are delivered, but chance meetings in Atoce or Uessaire are also possible! For the most part the messages are verbal, though some Erol'a may read off quick notes.

Though is possible for a non-turtle-parent to receive a message on behalf of a turtle-parent, for the most part the Erol'a will also insist on delivering the message personally.

---

OOC Note: Turtle parents are free to play with the exact wording of the message they receive, so long as it follows the general outline as mentioned in the OOC post.

After the first two days of Anton refusing to let Skulduggery leave the Hotel and explore the strange new half-sunken continent, Skulduggery had honestly believed he wasn't going to be allowed out of Keeliai at all. He wanted to object on principle, but he had a frustratingly small amount of ground to stand on. So he bore the punishment in silence, if not quite good grace, and was genuinely surprised when Anton let them leave without some kind of escort.

If he wasn't very careful, he might actually learn to rely on his friends.

Skulduggery and Ravel passed the first half of the walk in their customary silence, broken only by the clinking of the chain as they moved. Just as they were about to reach the border of Atoce, however, an Erol'a came running up to them and stopped, stunned.

"You really are a skeleton," she said, eyes wide. She turned to Ravel. "Can it really talk? It doesn't look like it can talk."

Despite his early reluctance to leave the Hotel, Erskine had been steadily forced to accept the fact that he was going stir-crazy. Whatever comforts he'd enjoyed in the Hotel before--namely, a decent bed and privacy if he needed it--were gone. They hadn't spoken about it as such, but Erskine felt much the same way about the new continent as did Skulduggery. It sounded interesting. It sounded like a chance to get away and forget about certain things for a while.

So when Anton had actually allowed them to go, Ravel found himself in a much more agreeable mood than he'd been in for days. Weeks, maybe. That didn't stop the silence between the two of them, but perhaps it was a touch less antagonistic than it had been. Maybe.

At the question from the Erol'a he found himself biting back a grin.

"It does, yes," he said, as deadpan as he could manage, "but there was a bit of a glitch in the spell that animates it. You see, it's a compulsive liar. Don't believe a word that comes out of it."

The girl's eyes widened even further. "Really?"

"No," said Skulduggery. It came out surprisingly good-natured. "Apart from the fact that I don't have skin, I'm not all that different from what you're used to. My friend here is the compulsive liar."

The Erol'a looked back and forth between them, understandably confused. "But then... who do I believe?"

"It's a conundrum, isn't it?" said Skulduggery brightly. "On our world, we have a riddle. You're a prisoner, and in your cell, there are two doors and two guards. One door leads to freedom, while the other leads to certain death. You don't know which is which. One guard always tells the truth, and the other always lies. But again, you don't know which is which. You can only ask one of them one question. What do you ask?"

"That's silly," said the girl.

"Of course it is," answered Skulduggery. "It's a riddle. But if you knew what question to ask, you'd know how to find out which of us is the compulsive liar."

Surprisingly good-natured indeed. Ravel found himself having to hide a look of astonishment when what came out of the skeleton's mouth wasn't snappish or completely flat. He'd certainly been expecting something of the sort.

And yet it was almost like falling back into their old familiar patterns, from back before everything had gone so wrong. Teaming up to confound someone with almost supernatural ease. It was almost as if they'd been doing this for centuries. Had been friends for centuries.

Almost.

"Or," he said with a musing look, "and this is just a possibility, mind--there's the distinct chance that we're both insane and you can't really trust either one of us."

They were, after all, the only two remaining Dead Men who'd been tortured. Repeatedly.

"That's true," Skulduggery agreed with a nod. "I mean, look at me. I'm a living skeleton. A lot of people would tell you I'm insane by definition."

The girl looked back and forth between them for a moment, bemused and slightly unsure, before shaking her head. "Nope. Quintus wouldn't. He said you were sweet and a lot of fun to talk to. He didn't say anything about the riddles, though."

"Quintus?" Skulduggery's cheerful manner vanished instantly. "You've seen him?"

"Yep. Him and the other turtles. They were here a while ago, and Quintus wanted me to find you if you came here. You and Akito, but I don't know what Akito looks like. Just what he smells like." She looked over at Ravel. "Are you Akito?"

Ravel found himself eyeing Skulduggery as the girl spoke, eyebrows arched, forehead crinkling in surprise. "'Sweet'?" he mouthed. Skulduggery wasn't paying any attention to him at that point, more interested in whoever or whatever this 'Quintus' was, but Ravel still felt the need to register his disbelief.

Sweet. Right. Skulduggery was positively fluffy.

At the question from the girl he turned his attention back to her and shook his head. "No, not me."

The other turtles? There were more of them?

"Akito's quite a bit younger," said Skulduggery. In more ways than one. "How long ago did you see the turtles?"

The Erol'a girl shrugged. "A while ago."

"Can you be more specific?"

"A long while ago."

Skulduggery shook his head. "That's the problem with a society run by children," he said to Ravel. "Nobody knows how to be helpful. It's infuriating. Why did Quintus ask you to find us?"

The girl brightened. "He said to tell you that he's really excited to see you both again, and to meet all your new friends, but that he can't yet because there's something he and the others have to take care of first."

"Which is...?"

A shrug. "I dunno. He didn't say. None of them would. But Quintus wanted me to tell you that he expects you and Akito to be best friends by the time he gets back."

Skulduggery sighed. "Of course he does. He might just have to deal with being disappointed on that one."

He snorted a laugh. "As if any of the adults we've ever known have been particularly helpful either. Without having to threaten them first, anyway."

Still, this was Skulduggery's conversation, not his. Ravel fell quiet, finding something convenient nearby to focus on while he listened in. He couldn't not listen in. They were chained together for God's sake. Anton had effectively smashed any idea of privacy they might've had. Erskine could have probably warped the air around him, made it more difficult for sound to reach him, but he wasn't getting the impression that this was quite that kind of conversation. So instead he continued in a sort of half-attentive state until Skulduggery sighed.

He turned his head slightly, so Skulduggery was visible in his peripheral vision.

"Not a fan, I take it?"

"Of Akito?" Skulduggery shook his head. "He's nice enough. Well-meaning. Too many regrets for his age, and too much maturity in handling them. But when Quintus says 'best friends', he means sharing our every secret, and neither of us do that with the friends we already have." Skulduggery hesitated. "Well, I don't. I assume Akito doesn't. Not with anyone in Keeliai, at least."

"How do you eat?" asked the Erol'a girl.

"Very carefully," Skulduggery murmured. He turned to face her. "Thank you. Have the other turtles left messages as well?"

"I don't know. I just talked to Quintus."

Skulduggery took a moment, then nodded. "OK. Consider the message delivered."

"Are you Midii-mama?"

It was the moniker that stopped her, cold. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and yet, if she were to look in a mirror, Midii would have seen her face go pale. There was only one person who had ever called her that. And while, yes, a fair few in Keelai knew about the nickname, it was always associated with that one person.

Riva.

She nodded wordlessly, urging the person to go on. Something about a message. Vague as to where it came from, but the longer the person spoke, the more confident Midii grew that it did, in fact, come from her precious (not so) baby Turtle.

"...and we're fine, so you can stop worrying now. No, really, Midii-mama, I was serious about the wrinkles..."

There were tears in her eyes, and before she knew it, she was actually smiling.

"But we can't come home yet. I'm sorry, but we have something we need to finish first. I know you'll understand, which is why I'm perfectly willing to deal with you frowning at me for the two weeks after we eventually do return. I still love you, but you know what? Worth it~."

Her hands came up to cover her mouth. Laughter escaped her, in between half-choked sobs. She wasn't sure if she was crying or giggling or happy or sad or some mess of a combination of them all. It was all she could do to thank the individual who had delivered the message before waving off the blurred silhouette of an Erol'a.

"I knew it...I knew they would be alright..."

It was, perhaps, the first time in her life that Optimism had paid off.

Jackie was minding his own business when he saw a girl crying. Though he'd never really met her, he recognized her. Oh, jeez, he wasn't sure what to do - he never liked it when girls cried, especially not kids. Least he could do would be to see what was up.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, walking up to her.

Still slightly overwhelmed, Midii actually jumped when a voice called out to her. An unfamiliar voice, sure, but it wasn't as if he had snuck up on her. She simply hadn't been paying attention.

"Huh?" A hand came up to wipe at her eyes, as if trying to hide the tears trailing down her cheeks. "Y-yeah. I'm alright. It's nothing."

"You sure? 'Cause it kinda looks like something," Jackie said, smiling at her.

"You wanna talk about it? Or, uh, I dunno, you want some tea? Or...somethin'?"

Her stomach silently rumbled, and it was then Midii realized she hadn't...actually eaten since breakfast. Too many errands to run.

"Tea would be perfect, thank you." Depending upon wherever they stopped at, she might even be able to order a sandwich. "And it's just...I received a message from someone I thought I'd lost."

"C'mon, there's a pretty good shop this way." And one where his Snake badge bought him due respect, even if his status as Foreigner made some of the staff and patrons eye him with distrust.

"Oh yeah? Like, someone who used to be here and then disappeared?" He was interested now, especially since there seemed to be no way to contact those who'd left.

"More like somebody who used to be here until I disappeared." To the realm of Dreaming, specifically.

Finger-combing through her long, blonde locks--Midii was never one for fashion (she'd never had the chance to learn any), but she did try to keep herself somewhat presentable for the general public--she pulled her pack a bit higher on her shoulder and turned fully to face the young man. The badge he wore didn't escape her notice, though she only eyed it silently and didn't ask any questions aloud.

"Her name is Riva. I helped to raise her since before she hatched from her egg."

Jackie was about to ask when she turned to him and mentioned the hatchling Riva, and he stumbled backwards in surprise, looking very taken aback.

"You heard from your hatchling?" he asked, clearly shocked. "Did she, did she, um, did she do the telepathy thing? How did you hear from her? Did she say anything about the others, like Rio'era?"

Her eyes widened ever so slightly. Then he was a Turtle parent as well. She recognized the name. Rio'era. Not one of Riva's closer siblings, but then, all of the surviving hatchlings had a special bond in some way.

"It was a message. They've been here. They met the locals. But I know it was her--the person who spoke to me said things that only Riva would know about."

Jackie sagged in relief. "Oh my God." He'd been worried, after the long time spent with no contact with the hatchlings other than the very weak psychic link. And for a moment, he wondered if Rio'era would be disappointed in him for going back to his old criminal ways.

"That's so good to hear. Did they mention where they were going?"

A sentiment Midii could actually empathize with; she'd been worried as well. Worried for Riva and the others' well-being. Worried they would be mad at everyone for leaving.

(Riva was right; she was going to end up with premature wrinkles at this rate.)

"No. But I think that was on purpose. She said they couldn't come back until they finished something important. I think she knows we'd all go looking for them the moment we found out where they were."

"She'd be right," Jackie said, and laughed a little, wiping at his eyes. He'd been so worried about little Rio'era...though, probably not so little, these days. He hadn't seen the turtle in more than a year.

"Did she say how big they'd gotten? Man, I miss them!"

"...no, she didn't say. I didn't think to ask. But I could only imagine."

The last time she'd seen Riva, the not-so-little Turtle could no longer fit inside their former residence.

"Yeah, wow," he said, and shook his head. They had to be enormous by now!

"Come on, let's get that tea."

She nodded her agreement. Now, even more than before, tea was needed.

Midii took a single, deep breath, and fell into quiet step beside him. Very quiet. Even at fourteen, she still managed to make very little sound when she walked. Old habits, combined with her small frame. She'd grown some since her arrival--there was a noticeable difference between Midii at fourteen, and Midii at eleven--but remained small for her age.

"You should ask." She spoke up after a moment. "Someone must have heard from Rio'era around here, too."

Hatchling Messages

On the path out of Keeliai | Closed to Erskine | June 19th-20th

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MINOR SPOILERS AHOY

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