tushanshu_logs | EVENT | LANDFALL

EVENT | LANDFALL | VALISHAERA

Characters: ALL!
Date: JULY 13-26
Location: Valishaera
Situation: Tu Vishan has made landfall on Siaxhi, to explore the Dreaming Watch City of Valishaera.
Warnings/Rating: Please indicate content warnings in subject headers as applicable.

As Tu Vishan draws near, the heavy jungle visible even from miles out quickly identifies the landmass as Siaxhi, one of the westernmost continents in Konryu and one that has been largely untouched insofar as the kedan themselves have gone. There is a natural inlet along the southeast shore on the continent and Tu Vishan makes for that, though he fills nearly all of it.

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I suppose it may be a part of witchcraft. I know little of what witches are capable of, but it seems like the manner of thing they would find interesting.

{Tazendra still thought witches were superstitious foreigners, but she admitted they had talents that were a lot harder to perform with sorcery. Especially psychic things.]

I wasn't aware the printing press was set down by the gods and not 'technology'.

[Because Zel is a bit sensitive in equating technology with 'all the tools you haven't developed']

But, think about it. Mages capable of casting flare arrow are common. Magic works in rain and doesn't go off accidentally, and doesn't require any preparation. Even if scholars note that gunpowder exists, most nations would rather pay sorcerers to improve fire magic than natural philosophers or alchemists or whatever to improve gunpowder.

We have gunpowder, by the way, but it was developed in a part of the world where magic wasn't as common. But, again, look at the printing press; it exists because no one's figured out a quick way to print things with magic. Dye spells exist, but they aren't as precise as a printer.

[Mark had spent the first few days split between hanging out with the Arybar and enjoying the tide pools. With that out of his system, he had moved on to the ruins nearby. One of the Arybar had made a comment about how overgrown it was, and Mark thought it would be a good gesture to try to clear some of it out for them in thanks. It made him think of Eve--that seemed like something she would do, so why not him?

So now Mark can be found in the ruined city, trying to clear out as much of the overgrown plants as he can, while being mindful of those the Arybar had planted and need.]

"Do you have a name?" Wlodzislaw inquires instead of answering his questions. A proper introduction should always be first, after all, even if that's only a flight of fancy and will disappear the next time he speaks with someone. For now, it seems the right course.

"If I am as I want to be and this temple is as you imagine it, then you cannot be where you once were. Valishaera, Dreaming. Asti made certain you found this city. I made certain you found this Realm."

You were brought to Valishaera by Asti. Whom brought you to the Realm of Dreaming? I am curious who it was that you saw that led you through this portal. Interesting shape.

[Wlodzislaw already worries about her. Her predispositions make sense, given what she seems to be, but he knows that the woman will never have any fun or open her potential without embracing things she never thought possible.]

Wlodzislaw has taken up residence in one of the chairs by the fire, pouring over a tome twice the size of her lap. Its words shift with her memory, saving her the effort of turning pages as handwritten words scroll across the pages like the Kindle of another world's modern age. She stops the letters at last, reading through a pair of specific paragraphs before letting out a frustrated grunt. She slams the book closed as much as she is able given its size and does her best to dramatically slam it on the ground.

She's oblivious to Enjolras' presence, the gesture done for her own benefit rather than for an audience. It isn't until she stands and spins around, perturbed, that she catches sight of the revolutionary. Her expression immediately alters to a smile at the sight of him and she gestures vaguely at the book he holds.

Company and curiosity are more important than the rest. It's precisely the reason why she led so many of the foreigners through the gate, to see what she can make of them and to test their strength, resolve, and interests. Okay and maybe a little bit to help keep her entertained. Being a monk can get tiring, especially when one isn't leaving the city much anymore.

"What are you reading?"

Great read, that is.

[Wlodzislaw sidles up not far from Hawke's back, having arrived strangely without drawing much attention from Notch. His voice is, at first, the same vague familiarity as the visage that brought the man through the portal. As he continues, however, it takes on the tone of an older man, one distinct to himself and not a recreation of others'.

He smiles at the dog and crouches down, gesturing to invite Notch over in an attempt to pet him.]

[Aya would argue that he need not worry about her. That she was perfectly content with slowly learning the ways of the worlds around her as she has been.]

There was not any one person.

Multiple individuals have been venturing through the portal. Combined with prior experiences regarding the realm of Dreams, and I wished to experience it for myself.

Two years would be one hell of a bender.

[Oh, there was drinking. They had a hell of a time of it, too. It was easy, satisfying work, and it was exactly the type of break HB needed at the time. Paling around with Hawke had been good for him that way. Got him to lighten up.]

I've heard about this happening. People disappear, then they come back not remembering a thing. It's the magic in this place. Those idiots have no idea what they're doing.

[Kidnapping people from their homes, making them fight a battle they have no business fighting... None of it's ever sat well with him, and the shoddy magic doesn't win any favors.]

Depends on the witch, really.

[She might have laid the "w" word on a bit thick, but she was also going to give the benefit of the doubt that it was being used as a general term. Not an insult.]

Some families can specialize in certain areas. Others can do anything, so long as it falls within their level of power. It's kind of hard to lump them all into one group.

[Not understanding completely how the two worked, Midii simply equated one evolutionary idea with another. People who were smart enough to lean the kinds of incredible things that magic could do...why couldn't they figure out others as well?]

But they exists together here. We have those computer consoles and other pieces of technology, but there's also magic.

The smoke curling through the air smells like the heady, warmly-spiced cigarettes they like to smoke in Indonesia, and the memory is enough to make his mouth water, suddenly dissatisfied with his own crappy hand-rolled cigs.

He'll remember to try to grab some of that before he heads back to the mainland if he can.

"You guys are pretty isolated out here," he says, squinting up at the sky blazing with stars. That's the best thing about being away from civilization. Sometimes you forget just how small you really are. "How long's it been since the last guys came through?"

"Yes." The response is instant, though she's referring to architecture as a whole. But then she pauses to think about the question again, looking around at the buildings too. "I mean - I'm working on that, for this place - I don't know how special it is yet, if at all. But architecture itself is something I study."

No kidding. [He follows Kaldur's line of sight. Wally kind of wonders if he could run up one, but then he wouldn't know how to get back down so.]

Not yet, no, but if we find a big red dog I call dibs on naming it.

"So not an actual backpack." She looks around, catches sight of the robot and points at it, questioningly. "That?"

She answered so quickly, that Midii again couldn't help wondering what she was missing. It all seemed so...average to her. Structurally sound. Not in danger of collapsing anytime soon. Possibly even water proof.

Of course, she was thinking in functional terms only. When Annabeth mentioned studying the subject, Midii had a feeling there was more to it than just how well the building could keep you safe and/or dry.

"Did you study under a carpenter?"

He certainly isn't going to verbally answer that but Bakura knows very well that someone properly motivated will do things they'd consider themselves above in other situations. So he says nothing and follows the necromancer, watching him stride through the portal without hesitation. Bakura follows a moment later, immediately casting his gaze around as he finds himself in a new room? place? dimension? as though expecting something to leap out and attack them.

"The setting is a little cliche..."

"Ah, science, of course." Enjolras does have to agree that they are rather one and the same when it comes down to it. "Aside the fact that I am lead to believe the one involves more explosions than exploration, when you really get down to the facts, I suppose they are all subsets of the same idea. I...sorry if I phrase it wrong, I am no scientist myself. Only lived with one for a long time."

His words drew her attention from the consideration of luminescence, and she studied him for a little while even after he finished speaking. That sort of bemusement she recognized, and had never really known what to do about, save press on. "Thank you," she said finally, at a loss for other appropriate sentiments. She meant it for the apology and assurance both, which with any luck he would pick up on.

Unless he wanted to revisit or clarify the matter, however, she was content to move on to science. "Even dreams usually have their own consistent logic," Raine pointed out. "However strange it seems by the light of day. ...I wonder. Do you think the animals here are products of the Dreaming, or themselves dreamers?" But that was a little bit of a side issue to the mushrooms themselves, and she shook her head. "Regardless, magic is involved. This place feels rich with mana to me, to an extent I've seldom felt. I'd hypothesize it's that which allows the mushrooms to thrive so extravagantly, but what exactly they do will require further testing." She looked fairly thrilled by the prospect.

"Ah well."

Enjolras does look up then, because weeding through the bits of the history he knows, and trying to make sense of the rest of the words that seem to shift,confusing dates at some places, and, a strange combination of what seem to be direct quotes from Feuilly himself (because he doubts very much that the phrases "an injustice beyond the mortal imagination" and "divvying up a sovereign state as though it were some paltry bit of bread, a mere robe à la polonaise instead of a noble nation of a noble people who did not deserve to bear witness to the first of many thefts of nations and the most terrible and infamous"), are proving to be more frustrating than he should like. And discussing reading is something that he has never had much trouble doing, even with someone he has not met before.

"It is a biography of Major General Kościuszko, of Poland, which is a country in my world.

And Enjolras hopes he is not mangling the man's name too badly here, though his version of the prouniciation is a bit less confident than Feuilly's ever was, words and phrases that he managed to snatch up of the Polish language rattling off his tongue. Enjolras has to smile, remembering that.

Or, rather, Poland was a country and will be again, actually. Poland has been under the control of invading nations for some years now. Kościuszko, though,lead an uprising in the midst of the second division of Poland. There have been some ...difficulties for quite some time with invasions by Russia, another of our world's nations. Kościuszko's life was, well, a friend at home, I think the best among our number, greatly esteemed and admired him. He'd recommended this particular account several times over the years, but I'd not had the chance to truly read it so much as leaf through it several times.

I did not want to keep it from my friend for too long when he lent it, and did not have the chance to truly read it in my lifetime. So, I am making an attempt of it now. I do think though,that this one...the translation seems to nearly be IN Polish after a point. And some of my friend's words themselves have found their way inside. Is that the nature of this library?" He wonders, curious now. "It seems as though, well, it is filled with my perception of the text instead of what it truly is?"

Edited 2014-07-21 09:32 (UTC)

It's good to be a kid again. There's serious things going on and Sarah hasn't forgotten that, but the chance to wander along the shore and kick her feet in the water is a nice break from it all.

The locals she's talked to so far have been nice and friendly, but Sarah still keeps her distance. And so she's enjoying herself and exploring, climbing trees and chasing small fish in the water by the shore. She won't go out too far, but still, it's better than nothing.

He whistles, impressed. "So you're not taking the easy way out and doing it the hard way?"

Any powers they might have should be used to support, not do everything for them. It was all too easy to rely exclusively on them.

The mushrooms are huge. Sarah's never seen anything like them. As she wanders, she can't help but look up at the towering shrooms above her. It doesn't take her long to spy a figure bounding from mushroom to mushroom, though who it is, Sarah's not quite sure.

There's a smile on her face before she knows it. Whoever they are, they're all kinds of awesome in her eyes. Awesome until the mushroom fails to spring like the ones before it. "Oh crap," Sarah gasps and starts to run towards Korra. If worst comes to worst, at least she'll be there to help.

She's not a fighter, but here she is. Sarah wants to be better, to do better. Over the past few months, the kid has learned that others, no matter how close they are to her, may not stick around. She's got friends and allies, but there's been too many gone for her to solely rely on them.

Before her is a staff, and Sarah looks around a moment before reaching to pick it up. This must be it. This must be where the training starts.

[ ~~Picture it, Paris, 1830...~~ Enjolras takes a moment to consider what of the political background is needed here, and what would be too much of an information dump. All things considered, Enjolras decides to go with a slightly amended version of past events. ]

About six years before our July Revolution, a new King came to the throne. He, and his brother before him were set up as rulers because they were members of a ruling family, not because the people had wished them to be there. It is a very common thing, or was at home, that Kings inherit their nations by birth and power of blood. About sixteen years before we revolted, when France was given a king again, a charter was established and it severely limited a good deal of freedoms for the people. Censorship of the press, persecution of religions other than the Catholic...they were aggressions that started to wear upon the people.

Slowly, things began to grow worse. There was a law proscribing death as the penalty for profaning the church. [For the Eucharist, in specific, but it's a matter of religion Enjolras is not certain is the same between worlds and he hardly wants to get into that explanation too.] And then, there was another law passed arguing that the people must pay those who had been deemed enemies of the Republic back in our first Revolution.

The people had been promised a good deal of more freedom than they proved to be getting, you see, and the air was already ripe for change and a return to their lives under the republic. While all of this was going on, a good many of my friends and I arrived in Paris to begin studying and found each other, which helped a good deal, actually. It did not do enough, but it did help, and we formed our little society as a sort of smaller subgroup branching off from the rights of man society. We'd come together, started our great work of liberating the republic once again, and started finding our feet as it were.

We'd authored some pamphlets, printed articles in papers sympathetic to our cause and that was how I came to know Carrel. When he assisted in the founding of Le National, he offered me a place writing articles for our cause, perhaps every...week or so, I think it was. In Spring, the King dissolved our parliament, who some were allowed to vote for, though most of us were below our majorities still, and suspended new elections, which was more than enough to upset even the calmer of our group, but then things became harder still. He dissolved the National Guard as well. Back then, our guardsmen were much more on our side in things. They served as much more of a link between the king and people, and with them gone, and a extremely hot summer, well...

[It's actually approaching the anniversary of those days themselves, roughly, at least, Enjolras thinks,given the timing of Christmas and it feels somehow right to have found the papers now. That does not make the story of the July Revolution any easier, but even so, he'll tell it to the death. Feuilly had the injustice of the Partition of Poland to rage at, but the acts of Charles, and their result, are his particular grievance, even now.]

In July, our king signed yet more ordinances that wrested away more of our power. The middle class were also barred from voting, more positions were dissolved, business owners now banned for running from office, and,on top of this for many of us, he suspended all liberties of the press instead of 'just' [Those are some air-quotes Enjolras has learned here that he is attaching to the word, yes.] the censorship we had been under.

That day was a Sunday, but by the next morning everything had changed. Our business owners wished to protest, so they shut their businesses, and the workers had nowhere to go, but joining others who'd been slowly fired all summer. They ordered our republican papers shut down, and many did, but fifty of us met at Le National and signed that we would keep on printing. Well, they made the choices, but I did sign in my support as well. Because we had stayed open, they came to shut us down that night and take our contraband.

[Here, Enjolras is tapping at Carrel's printed words again, nearly seeing the man himself as he put down those very words.]

We stayed around, of course, on principle, and well, we were a group of journalists. I do not think that I've ever known journalists to flee before any major events, and republican journalists at that, meaning we had a great deal of things to defend.

We'd gathered quite the mob in our support, at our press when they arrived, and that was when we started fighting.

[Enjolras, himself, had draped himself over the press containing the arranged print for the edition now in his hands, and, though he did not raise his voice, made everything quite clear to the officers sent in that they would have to take the press from him by force, or by his death. There is something of that spark he had shown then in his eyes now, almost as though he expects for someone around him to provide a challenge.]

It was exactly as I read. Obedience was long past a duty we would even pretend at, and we prepared to offer up what resistance we could. There were no chances, or leaving the press to fall into police hands, and I...well, things all became rather confused...

[They'd tried to pull him off, or push or shove, but it had finally been a knock to the face with a nightstick, and a boot firmly, sharply, pressed into his spine and quite a lot of darkness rushing up to meet him then, though he had kept this secret from near everyone, or he had tried to, then.]

The next I knew, it was much later and I sent Gavroche and some of his small army to gather everyone else that we could meet and plan our next moves together.

[Here, Enjolras is pausing, taking a moment to breathe, and giving Midii a halfway sheepish expression since this is probably the first time she's heard him going on like this at all.]

This is all much longer than I'd thought that it would be. Perhaps we ought to find somewhere to sit before I tell you more.

Edited 2014-07-21 11:07 (UTC)

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EVENT | LANDFALL | VALISHAERA

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Mark Grayson | OPEN

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Sarah | Open

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Sarah | Open

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