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ximilialog2022-08-05 11:19 am
- ! event log,
- doctor who: river song,
- fear street: ziggy berman,
- fullmetal alchemist: edward elric,
- grishaverse: the darkling,
- gundam seed/destiny: yzak jule,
- marvel comics: gwen stacy,
- mcu: natasha romanoff,
- mcu: peter quill,
- naruto: kakashi hatake,
- pacific rim: newton geiszler,
- supernatural: dean winchester,
- the 100: clarke griffin,
- the old guard: andromache,
- the untamed: wei wuxian,
- the witcher: yennefer of vengerberg,
- towards the terra: soldier blue,
- yakuza: zhao tianyou
MISSION: WISH FULL, PART 1
● ● ● M I S S I O N 8 . 1
After two weeks of much-needed rest, there is once again the unmistakable ping of the earpieces, alerting the team to a new file — and before most of you will be able to read through the file, Viveca’s voice interrupts you.
I’ll see you on the platform tomorrow morning, so go pack your things… just not anything that’ll rust.
She ends her speech there, and then the comms go silent, allowing you to get a better handle for the new mission file and to start packing. Whatever it is you do to prepare — whether it’s training intensely, sleeping the day away, or focusing on what to take with you — you still have a bit of time.
The next morning, it is not just Viveca but Degar, too, waiting for the team on the teleportation platform. The hum of the machine is loud as always, but not quite enough to drown out Degar’s voice.
Just close your eyes and try to imagine your fishiest form, and I guarantee you’ll blend in with the rest of the Xrisora just fine. Good luck everyone.
The golden light of the spell mingles with the bright white from the teleportation machine, bathing you in what resembles the first rays of morning sun. You’re sent off to a chorus of murmuring voices, barely discernible except for the words whispering your personally catered goal—
And before you so much as open your mouth to respond, you can feel it: a splash of cold that feels almost welcome as you breathe in the water that surrounds you, feel the oxygen from it go through the gills you now have.
Welcome to Qruria City, orbers.
In front of you, the mighty gates to Qruria City rise up, carved into the rocks of the ocean floor, shaped by years and years of sea currents. Behind them, you can peek at the tops of lotus-pod-like buildings amidst gently swaying seaweeds and corals that climb up on the sides of the buildings. Grains of sand move underneath your legs, or tails, or perhaps both — as from around the gates, two guards come forward, one a shark merman, one a woman with the lower body of a shrimp.
You nod — and so do some others around you, and that seems to be enough for Xriom.
With those words, the gates creak open, letting you swim into the city.
1.0 A series of tall, dark grey twisting towers carved and created from sedimentary rock form a border around lush park-space full of brightly coloured flora that can be found draped across the queendom and its structures like a living blanket. Nestled into crevices and shrouded in coral and plant-life are a series of market places and residences, large swaths of farmland, and places where any citizen of Qruria can thrive in their day-to-day life. The queendom is large and there is plenty to explore, with friendly faces to greet you as you pass them by. All you need to do is … do a little swimming to get there.
The entertainment district is cluttered with underwater grotto taverns, stages for singing, dancing, and gatherings. These spaces are lit by way of bioluminescence, blossoms that have become permanent fixtures and begin to glow the moment the waters become dark. They do lend themselves to creating a certain mood.
Just past the taverns and performance centres are stalls and shops selling simple, practical, and beautiful items: garments, pottery crafted from hollowed out shells and coral, jewelry. You may walk past a stall selling beautiful, luminous necklaces made out of flaming pixie cups — these sparkling plants are bright like diamonds, and famous for imbuing their wearer with a feeling of happiness if worn for over one hour. There are herbalists selling healing tonics and medicines; and just past these shops, cafes and restaurants. Some are no more than holes in rocky caverns, but others are up high in lotus-pod-like structures sitting on top of rock pedestals, grand and famous with large dining halls and sparkling dinnerware promising you the meal of your life.
Beyond the pomp and the circumstance are quiet farmlands where mer-farmers keep their herds of Zavos, caring for them. You might instantly recognize some of these creatures simply by consulting the bestiary that is downloaded into your communications device the moment you arrive in Qruria.
2.0 Even from afar, the royal palace is a sight to behold: made from a marble-like material much more refined than the roughly-hewn towers past the palace’s walls, the structure seems to glimmer as the water currents circle around it, with spires that stretch towards the water’s surface, the entire palace area is lit with bioluminescent-powered lamps. It’s a must-see for any tourist from out of town, and certainly for any foreigner, and some areas of the palace itself are also open to the public with designated tours free to join.
If you join one of these tours, you’ll be led past the entrance gates and into a courtyard (one of many, and one of the few open to the public to view). Depending on the time of day, you may also catch sight of the Queen’s guard training by the barracks with long silver spears in hand. They look fierce, and their weapons look sharp. And while most of the tour is in the service of viewing the architecture and understanding how the royal family live their lives behind the palace’s gates, on the very rare occasion, you might sight the small royal princess swimming past a row of columns, giggling and chasing after her sea dragonling; or making a concerted effort to hide from whatever lessons she’s meant to be in that day.
3.0 There are a variety of different species of fish that also share the city space with the xrisora — a school of mackerel that move around in a synchronized cloud; whales that drift above the city, casting shadows onto the buildings … and even larger creatures, bioluminescent markings on their skin, swimming slowly towards the surface. Some xrisora stop and bow to their direction whenever they are seen.
One species of sea creature, one that faintly resembles a plesiosaur, sticks mostly to hiding behind rocks and coral reefs, shying away from the xrisora and the orbers… except for one of them. It sways its head back and forth as orbers swim past, as if sensing something — and when it sees Finn, Peter, Daisy or Clarke, it makes chirping noises and starts to swim around them, clearly excited.
4.0 As you wander — perhaps seeming a little lost or a little bored, maybe — you hear a little something that sounds suspiciously like pspsps. Looking around you don't see anything, at least not right away. But, then a sprigtly looking little guy bubbles up directly in front of you.
He's a fast talker and an even faster swimmer. He circles around you, no matter if you're still or moving.
There is no card.
Where, exactly, is this place? Well, if you watch him swim away, you'll be able to spot a small stall in the distance, in the city but right along the edge of it. If you miss it, you can inquire about it to be pointed in the right direction by any passerby. And once you visit him, he'll make an offer promising great rewards.
5.0 There is a different kind of excitement that can be felt all across the queendom of Qruria City, a feeling of anticipation that bubbles and gurgles in the hearts and gills of every citizen. Twinkling bioluminescent lights are hung like streamers across archways and around pillars of coral and limestone. Bright flags made of different coloured kelp wave and flutter with the current. Shops have started to pull out thematic wares — crowns and flowers, preciously crafted jewelry, small glowing sticks of light, iridescent fabric meant to drape over one's shoulders, or around one's waist all in celebration of something that unifies the whole of the queendom.
If asked what it is that calls for the occasion, one of the xrisora will cheerfully exclaim, “The festival, of course!” before they carry on. The festival they speak of is the Caerulea Festival, and it is the one time of the year when the light from the surface stretches its reach, touching the ocean floor and bathing Qruria with its bright glow.
Some might ask for your help in putting out the finishing touches to the fronts of homes or the frontages of a store. Or, depending on how buoyant they may seem, an excited xrisora might drape a free chain made of small shiny shells around your neck, or weave little corals into your hair.
You’ll find that the energy is the same across the city. Find a way to be helpful if you can, or simply find a place to sit and float, watch as the city around you is transformed throughout the week in anticipation for this festival of light.
6.0 In the middle of the City, there is a protected ‘park’ of sorts, a cluster of coral and plant-life in every colour one can imagine. With tendrils of gold, blooms of bright pink, and curling stems of blue and green, some multi-coloured, others a solid deep shade of its chosen hue, this ocean’s forest will be the main attraction of the Caerulea Festival, the best vantage point for the reach of the surface’s light. A stage with the delicate texture of a giant clam-shell has been set at one end with the park as its backdrop, and it is here that a congregation of xrisora have gathered to hear the Queen speak just a little before nature performs her very best number of the year.
She swims towards the stage in a gauzy gown of pale violet that compliments the greenish hue of her skin and shimmers with each motion of the water’s current or her own movement, her guard and handmaidens trailing behind her in straight lines. Each one of them is adorned and decorated in coral and pearl and jewels not unlike the Queen’s.
7.0 If you haven’t already been roped into joining in the festivities, you’ll find yourself wanting to do so on your own accord. With stalls and shops open to browse, new foods to try, and music being played all across the city on small sound-stages and in the city’s square, it’s already too difficult to resist, and it would be a shame not to take part. Even under the water, the smell of warm food manages to waft its way into your senses, with market stalls that offer an assortment of savoury platters and sweet delights in bright and appetizing colours of pink and red and rich warm brown. The shops you may have swam past earlier seem brighter and more energetic with their wares and vendors beckon you to try a shawl or look closer at some of the jewelry pieces. At every corner of the city, there are small groups of musicians and dancers twirling with the water’s current, singing beautiful songs that have a hopeful energy to them. It doesn’t take long before the tune is stuck in your head, easy enough to follow along, daring you to sing aloud. If you want to, performers are more than happy to rope you in and let you join them.
You are not the only foreigners who have come to Qruria City for the Festival either. You’ll find during your explorations that the city feels fuller now, with more people in the city’s streets and hanging around the shops.
8.0 After the main event, Queen Xephia opens a large gala that is expected to last until the next morning. The city’s centre is transformed into a space for dancing, singing, and merriment with musical acts that span from energetic ditties, and big band numbers to slower, calmer ballads that sing of love lost, or love regained again. They are tunes of hope and longing and discovery, and the melodies are not unlike the ones you might have heard earlier … only now there is a larger, more unified gathering. As the waters become darker and evening settles, more and more lights begin to glitter around the kingdom, reflected in the flora and the water itself. It transforms Qruria as though she has become a completely different city, but the feeling of awe and magic never wavers.
All manner of fish-folk can find a partner here, whether it’s someone they might know already, or seek someone new. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to learn about the different cultures on Xrisora, and perhaps in your own way learn clues about the possible whereabouts of the orb while you’re at it.
The next morning, you may be slow to rise after an entire day of festivities … or maybe you’re one of the partiers that haven’t even had a wink of sleep yet, dancing until your fins ache and until the rays of sunlight start to slowly filter through the water again, cascading like falling stars.
This magical calm is broken by the clanging of alarm bells in the palace, the sound reverberating through the city, soundwaves echoing from large bells so low you can almost feel their vibrations.
The closer to the palace you go, the more you find it to be in complete chaos: guards swimming to and fro, barely even paying attention to the early visitors.
Before you think to ask what exactly it is they are searching for, you see the king himself, swimming out into the palace entrance. A small sea dragonling swims around his head in rapid circles.
It is this shocking announcement that ends the merriment of the festival in one swift strike, the information traveling from one onlooker to another — Queen Xephia and Princess Xoria are missing.
F Y I
• If you have questions about any of the prompts or the mission in general, please direct them HERE.
• To submit a search request regarding exploring a specific place or speaking to an NPC, please do so HERE.
• To sign up for a quest, please do so HERE. Characters will get the choice of two quests that Levi has prepared for them, and after hearing the first one, can ask to hear the second if they don’t like the first. One character may sign up for multiple quests. Quests can be done in pairs or larger groups.
• Take note of the bestiary that is downloaded into the communications device the moment characters arrive in Qruria. It is accessible to all orbers, and will update as the mission progresses.
• And finally, your soundtrack for this log: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
8.0!!
[Zhao had absolutely zero qualms in playing boyfriend to the sudden arm glomping Peter Quill. It didn't hurt that he had a few, er, drinks in him already. He was having a swell time at this party.
He leaned into Peter a little, his eyes bright with mischief. He may have been a little tipsy but he was coherent enough to catch onto what was happening and easily play along. And to add a little flair to the act.
He pecked a quick kiss onto Peter's cheek.]
Don't leave me again for the evening, ne? That was too long.
no subject
Sorry, love. I got distracted, but you know I only have eyes for you. [ Peter leans in and tilts his head to the side when Zhao goes for a kiss on his cheek, and his fins brush the back of the man's very long lower body. As if to prove his point, as well as to get a better look at Zhao's dragon-like body, Peter looks at him up and down and then smiles. ] You look as handsome as the last time we talked. And don't worry, I won't be going anywhere.
[ The lady Peter had been talking to scrunches up his nose for a second and then gives them a pinched smile, mentioning what a lovely pair they make. And that if they can excuse her, she has things to do...somewhere else. Peter stays by Zhao's side, shoulders relaxing, and he lowers his voice to speak again. ]
Thank you. She was a little ...fishy. And very insistent.
no subject
Ahh, you're such a charmer, darling. I'm so glad I caught you when I did.
[He giggles, a high-pitched cute little thing, and leans into Peter a little more. He barely has time to nod and farewell the lady mer as she departs for his eyes are all on Peter.]
Some people don't know how to take a hint. Don't worry about it... sweetheart.
[Teasing, he's teasing. Zhao let his tail flick dismissively as he watched the mermaid swim off into the crowd to find a new victim, lingering on Peter as long as possible to make certain the lady was truly gone.]
no subject
He tilts his head down a little after that sweetheart comment, green eyes looking up at Zhao from under long lashes as if he's feeling coy after the teasing. Peter too, can play along. ]
My hero. She wasn't even that enjoyable, didn't tell me anything interesting. [ Meaning that he got no clues about the whereabouts of the orber or any fun gossip. ] I hope your evening was more entertaining.
no subject
Ahem. That being besides the point... Zhao's tail reached up to tap idly near his mouth as if it were simply another finger to gesture with. His lips pursed slightly as he thought.]
Ah, what a pity. The least the hagfish could have done was drop something interesting into the pot. [He sighed with over-exaggeration.] My evening? [He shrugged.] Not that eventful so far. But now that you're here, my love~... it's gotten much more entertaining.
no subject
He is a taken man, even if his girlfriend isn't here, but he doesn't mind playing along with flirty banter. Peter is a tease at heart. Old habits die hard. If he were into this for real, the underwater stuff wouldn't bother him either. He's messed around with aliens since he was old enough to do so, and he's used to peculiar bodies. Variety is the spice of life. ]
And yet...Clearly no one can fulfill me as you do. [ That was perhaps leaning a bit too heavily into the partner side of the ruse, but Peter says it lightly and casually enough that it sounds pretty natural. Sorry to hear yours wasn't too entertaining either. ] We should change that.
[ Peter's hand rests on Zhao as he looks around, trying to spot possible targets. ]
Hm, perhaps we should dance?
no subject
[He replied with an amused lilt to his voice. He would love to dance, actually, as he was quite fond of it. Dancing was one of his hobbies after all. He was best at breakdancing, surprise, but he liked a good partner-up when he got the chance for some honest dancing.
He sidled up close to Peter and showed off his pearly fangs with a pleased grin. He took Peter's hand in his own but would let the other merman lead the way since it was his suggestion.]
no subject
[ Even though he was the one who proposed dancing, once they get closer to the dace area and their arms are into the right position, Peter realizes that he can't do any of his usual footwork....because he doesn't have feet. He looks down, head tilting a little in silent realization, thinking about how to proceed. ]
Ehm...I guess that we could sway from side to side? [ And then he adds, in a lower voice so other guests can't overhear. ] I usually have better skill when it comes to dancing. The lack of hipbones is ruining my game.