Event Log: The Beach Episode

[hadrielmods]

Who: Everyone!
What: The event log for the transition to our new planet!
Where: The city, which has now been fragmented onto four separate islands.
When: May 27th-June 10th
Warnings: Surf's up! If by 'surf', you mean separation from your friends, weird sea creatures, and cold rainfall.

The sun and the sand and a drink in your hand- well, it all sounded pretty nice when you voted for the island planet, but ultimately what you're getting is a bit less glamorous.

The transition takes place instantaneously, with very little noteworthy shakeup, though those of you who are particularly in-tune with the supernatural may feel a bit dizzied or nauseated by the sudden movement. And that's exactly what it is: for those of you who are outside, the change is fairly noticeable, as in the span of a single blink, what used to be miles of desert is now rocky ocean. The city is simply in one place one moment, and then somewhere entirely new a second later.

And that somewhere new is exciting! The islands have plenty of landscape to explore and weather conditions to adjust to, fish to catch, and- wait, how do you get to the other islands? What if your friends or your home or the bar is on these other islands? Enjoy having to figure out who is where and how you're going to get by with only a small fraction of the city to work off of- hopefully those boats will come sooner rather than later...

► This log covers May 27th-June 10th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you drown or get eaten by an alien shark, let us know here.

Comments

[so_dark_a_road]

"I am minding my own business. The forest is my territory. But pardon my intrusive question." No sarcasm, no innuendo, nothing but a direct response with an open gaze.

The sharp point of her rapier notwithstanding, he is not near enough for her to hit him before he can block, parry, or simply evade. He'll fight if he has to, but not otherwise. Also, he's stubborn and not very easy to get rid of.

The flame shield is suddenly up, but he smiles a little. Fire he understands very well.

"Caedra, suppose we make a deal. Fifteen minutes of conversation. We can always go back to murderous rage later, if you like. We have little to lose. What do you say?"

[abyssalarcana]

"That's not a deal," she replies with a scowl. "That's a request. A deal gets me something I want also."

Little to lose, sure, but nothing to gain either. Especially because every single time this elf has approached her, he has done so with the intent of making her angry. Why would she think this could be any different?

[so_dark_a_road]

"All right, let's negotiate, then. What do you want?" he asks.

Fair enough. She would remember his approach to her at Hope's feast; he certainly had been intent on annoying her.

[abyssalarcana]

"Your truename, if you know it. Your full common name as well as those of your closest relatives, if not."

Surely that's a perfectly reasonable price for a brief conversation, right? Nothing too crazy, just the tools to hunt him and his kin down once she finally returns home.

[so_dark_a_road]

"What do you mean by a truename?"

He is a little puzzled. Naming is a powerful act in his world, and he has more than one name. But how is one truer than another?

[abyssalarcana]

"The one given to you by the gods themselves. Most mortals don't know theirs. But I've gathered that you're not the average mortal creature."

That little stunt he pulled in his nightmare certainly proved that.

[so_dark_a_road]

"You're right, I'm not the average mortal creature. I'm of the Elven kindred, from the First Age of Arda."

Not that she would know the significance of that. . . .but then, she was in his dream, so she saw a little of the landscape and maybe felt the intensity of its enchantment. Certainly she was surprised by what he could do as a result of being a part of that world.

"But our gods don't give us names. Our families give us names."

[abyssalarcana]

She has no idea what the First Age of Arda is, of course - it's a meaningless phrase to her, but already it gives her information that could be used for her purposes at some later date. So she nods, seeming to accept this, while retaining it in her mind.

"Your gods probably do give you names but don't tell them to you. But that's fine - like I said, most don't know them. Go on then - full names as granted by your family. You and your nearest kin."

[so_dark_a_road]

"I doubt this. Our gods have great respect for the power of language, and when they made the Elves, they called us the Quendi, which means the speakers. They gifted us with the intelligence to create language, and the passion to name things. I was not always in agreement with them on certain other important matters, nor was my family, but we respected them for the freedom they gave us to name ourselves and to invoke that power to determine our own fates."

"I'll give you my full name. However. . . "

He stops and thinks for a moment.

"I think that if you want the same information about the rest of my family, you will have to ask them. Their names are their own, and not mine to give away."

"Besides, I think my name is worth fifteen minutes' of conversation. But if you insist on more, is there something else you would accept in lieu of these other names?"

[abyssalarcana]

So he is of a truly ancient line, then. It explains a few things. He is no simple elf, but one the planetouched fey. Eladrin, they are called in her world. One of the oldest races created by the gods, and often celestials in their own right.

Disgusting.

"No, that's fine. Your full name only, none of your kin. I will accept that for your fifteen minutes."

[so_dark_a_road]

There are similarities across the worlds, it seems! Curufin's people are also called the Eldar, the People of the Stars. It denotes that they are the oldest of sentient beings, and though not celestials, they are distantly related to them.

Curufin nods. "Very well. It's Curufinwë, in the original language. I normally go by Curufin Fëanorion. I am also called Atarinkë."

"And now on to the conversation, for if I begin to tell family stories, I will use up the time unprofitably. What do you think of this world the gods have just brought us to? Have you lived on an island before?"

[abyssalarcana]

She keeps her poker face quite nicely as he lists his names. Good, good - she repeats them mentally, intending to write them down once he has gone. It will be nice to have them recorded in the library at Ironhold when she returns. Should they ever find the path to his world, he will find himself in grave danger. The name will give Amamot an immense advantage when he places his Geas on Curufin's mind, and he will serve them well to betray his elven people.

Some day. Perhaps.

Caedra is not a creature who habitually keeps her word, but it will serve her well to play along, she decides. Especially since he was so willing to give her what she asked for.

"No, I have never been on an island. I don't think I would do well on one either. Cabin fever, isn't that what it's called in Common? To be cooped up in one place for too long."

[so_dark_a_road]

Caedra may hope for that, but she might find that it is extremely difficult for an external force to gain entry to Arda. That universe is guarded by the Wall of Night, beyond which is the Void. When the Valar finally went to war with their brother god, Morgoth, to prevent him from destroying what was left of Middle-earth, they threw him into the Void, where he forever roams in fury and hatred but cannot get back in. Caedra would not only have to get past the Wall, she'd have to get past Morgoth! He's a sort of involuntary watchdog, a very fierce one.

But we do not know, since that day has not come.

Curufin listens to her answer to his question.

"Yes, it's called cabin fever, in the Common Speech. Apparently our worlds have that in common. Nobody likes to be confined. Do you have some way to travel amongst the islands here?"

[abyssalarcana]

"I do. And I'm glad they're a little more space than the city before, but with sea instead of desert, the whole world feels smaller. At least before I could walk for days if I really wanted to."

But enough of these people are keen on making or finding boats of some fashion, so she imagines that won't be a problem for long. Still, unless she learns to sail, she won't be able to get far on her own, and being dependent on someone else for transportation is nearly as bad as imprisonment.

[so_dark_a_road]

"I used to go out and walk in the desert, too. It was such an improvement over the cave. Sometimes I'd wait for that short night when one sun was down and the other hadn't come up, and I'd just take off and run for miles. Can't exactly do that here. But I'm building a couple of boats, so it should be possible to row or sail to the other islands pretty soon."

Neither one of them like to be dependent on others, it seems.

"What do you do here, when you get restless?"

[abyssalarcana]

Boats. Good, she'll keep an eye out for them. Though if he simply intends to go from island to island with them, they aren't the sort she's after.

"All sorts of things," comes the non-answer. She's intent on asking questions of her own, not sitting through an interrogation. "But tell me more about your boats. Do you know how to build an ocean-faring ship?"

[so_dark_a_road]

Maybe he'll ask that one again some time. But for the present, he's following her lead.

"I'm starting with smaller boats, for the purposes of island-hopping and fishing not too far out to sea. But yes, I can build an ocean-faring vessel. And I'm intending to, if nothing prevents me. I'd really like to know what's beyond the horizon."

[abyssalarcana]

"It must take quite a while to build something like that though, wouldn't it? And once you have done so, the list of those wanting to accompany you will probably be incredibly long."

Although perhaps it depends on the style of the craft. Simpler designs, like those the orcs or the island dwarves use - there might be enough resources here to make a few such boats, capable of holding ten people rather than the broad galleons of the navies. There would be less competition for their use, if they could make a few - and one could be more easily stolen and hidden away offshore somewhere.

[so_dark_a_road]

"For any boat, it depends on the design, the size, and the available working hours. A large ocean-going vessel would certainly take longer than these smaller ones I'm building now. And as for people wanting to accompany me, I'll manage. And I'm sure I'll have help. The smaller craft can be taken out many times a day. Sailing or rowing time between these islands is short. As for longer voyages, out of sight of these islands, going to who knows where! -- well, we'll see. There may or may not be a lot of volunteers."

Not everybody is willing to brave seasickness, high seas, storms, and the cold and wet. But the adventurous generally are.

[abyssalarcana]

Right - she had almost forgotten. Most of these people lack the ambitions she has. Most of them chose this location probably because they wanted to lounge around on the beach and pretend they're on some extended holiday.

Good. It makes her despise them more, but it also makes her life easier. It's not as if she ever expects or wants to like these mortals anyway.

"Of course. And I expect that many prefer the few comforts the gods are able to give them. Fending for themselves on the sea would be too difficult for many. Of those who are capable, some will choose to stay and defend those who are not. So, if you are looking to make something seaworthy, what do you hope to find?"

[so_dark_a_road]

Not that lounging around on these rocky beaches is necessarily a vacation, what with the fog and the rain so often coming in from the sea. But for many, it's an improvement over the desert, and certainly over the cave! Curufin's happy with it, and he doesn't mind the weather at all.

"Many do prefer those comforts, but the gods are giving us precious little of those at the moment. If this goes on, I expect there'll be more volunteers for a sea voyage than you might think! But as for that hypothetical sea-voyage, I'd be hoping to find islands with more food resources, or maybe even a mainland. We don't know much about this planet, after all. The gods represented it as having only islands, but who knows about that? Maybe they just said that to keep us cooped up here where they can keep track of us. And beyond that? Adventure. New experiences. I'm bound to get bored here, once the boats are finished and the other challenges are met."

[abyssalarcana]

"I see. Yes, I am sure the people here would benefit from such things and I myself admit I would vastly prefer a mainland, if one exists."

Caedra nods and remains neutral. Has it been fifteen minutes, yet? Of course not, sadly - and if she truly gets fed up with this, there is nothing stopping her from leaving, despite what she agreed to.

Privately, she's glad that's all Curufin is after, but she is careful not to let relief show on her face. He can go search for a mainland and food and resources all he likes. It doesn't conflict with what she wants. She expects he's not telling her everything, of course, but he sounds genuine enough about it. He probably won't be in the way, once she gets on the ocean herself. Besides - the sea is a big place.

[so_dark_a_road]

Nope, the fifteen minutes is not quite up. But of course, she can leave at any time. It's not as though he can take back his name!

"If there's a mainland, would you go and live there, if there was a way to get there? Ask me another question, too, if you like."

Interestingly, he is genuine about this. He doesn't expect her to reveal anything much about herself, since he isn't revealing all that much about himself. (He thinks so, anyway! Perhaps mistakenly.) But an odd thing is true: it is thought-provoking, to see your enemy in a different light. Even a few minutes of non-confrontational conversation can provide that.

[abyssalarcana]

The request for another question is unnecessary, of course - she'll ask whatever she damn well pleases, whenever she wants to. But he's probably just trying to prove that he's open to talk, rather than interrogate. Who can say why, since it's not like they're going to become friends any time soon. Or ever, probably.

"If there was a mainland - yes, probably, depending on what it's like. At least it would be an opportunity to get away from all of you." And perhaps to find more lost souls of the creatures known so far only as 'hosts'. If she could find enough, perhaps she could overcome the limitations placed by her transportation here. Perhaps she could find enough to trigger a transformation. Can that be done outside the Abyss? She has no idea but it might be fun to try.

"You mentioned at first that if I wanted the names of your kin, I would have to ask them myself. Are they here, then?"

[so_dark_a_road]

"I suppose it would be nice to get away from us. You don't seem happy sharing a city with so many human beings."

He suddenly registers her question. "You mean you don't know that already?"

Maglor and Maedhros were the ones who came for revenge. Presumably at the time, she would have recognized Maglor from when he showed up at Rage's temple to help Curufin fight her summoned demons. And he thinks it's quite likely that Maglor announced his name and intentions when he finally tracked Caedra down. An ancient tradition amongst warriors! It's considered rude to kill somebody without a formal declaration.