heelies: (Default)
Achilles, son of Peleus ([personal profile] heelies) wrote in [community profile] futurology2016-04-11 10:49 am

( video ) [ BACKDATED TO LATE ON 4/9 ]

[ What broadcasts over the network is the picture of a peculiar pair: Achilles and Helga, serious of countenance both, as is each's modus operandi. The metallic shell of the submarine's curved insides serves as their backdrop. ]

I should like to call to assembly the members of this crew, and I understand that this is the best means by which to reach the ears of all men, although it is more to my liking to see those to whom I give these words. It is Achilles, son of Peleus, who wishes to speak to you: I have journeyed, with a crew led by gold-clad Gilgamesh and fair-haired Kida, to the darkest reaches within the sea, which lie beyond where the imagination of men can fathom. I shall tell of that to which we have borne witness.

Down there dwells Ryba, the goddess of the sea, who is Nalanni's sister. She knows not to where Nalanni has gone, for her eyes cannot see beyond that over which she presides - but we have her reassurance that Nalanni who delights in volcanoes has not vanished in full from this land, for she would know if such a calamity has come to pass. We are told that sea and rock are anchored one to another, as life is to death: either both must make this land, or nothing at all remains. Therefore, hope has not scattered to the wind.

Wave-ruling Ryba soon grew weary of our audience, and although she welcomes supplications the price she demands is steep. It is imprudent to test the generosity of the gods. Thus we parted with little solved: still, the answers she granted ought to be shared among all.


[ Helga looks as if she would have loved to interrupt him a fair few times already, but she kept quiet in spite of herself until now. Achilles, for his part, looks none too thrilled at having to share the floor thus. ]

Ryba has not been straightforward in her answers.

[ Surely, she hasn't shot a sideway glance at Achilles when she said this. ]

What we gathered from her is that the Dakal have been driven to (or near) extinction by the Nalawi during the war between them. They had been "sent to the bottom of the sea", either literally or figuratively. It checks out, if I'm allowed to hazard a guess: on our way to Ryba's lair, we came across plenty of wrecked submarines, none of which seem to fit in with the near complete lack of technology on Komo and the other islands.

The goddess mentioned one specific Dakal, who sold her soul in order to return to the surface world. In the process, she may have been granted powers by Ryba herself, but we do not know what became of her, what those powers were, or if she did anything with them.

I have been told by the Nalawi innkeep that minor gods exist alongside Nalanni, albeit no one worships them here. Ryba proves that they are tangible to the point of concern, so I urge all of you to take great care during your exploration.
winces: (( three ))

video | username: olivia

[personal profile] winces 2016-04-11 04:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[ olivia looks a bit overwhelmed; both by the news they bring forth, but also by the fact that they had the opportunity to gather such news in the first place. olivia doesn't know much of submarines, so she can't place the backdrop they're in, but she supposes they must have managed to get down there somehow... more magic, perhaps? but hasn't magic itself been struggling as of late?

well — it doesn't matter much now, does it? they have some answers, at least, even if these answers bring about more questions than ever before.

but first thing's first— ]


Thank you for your hard work.

[ she doesn't know if more are involved; she can only hope they had proper protection and cover in their journey, though she knows both helga and achilles to be quite capable. ]
selfimage: — ɢᴀʀʙᴇᴛᴛ — (Magic dance.)

VIDEO. UN: LOKI

[personal profile] selfimage 2016-04-11 04:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[ he has his arms folded over a driftwood desk, leaning forward slightly. ]

Good to know that the monotheists haven't taken over yet.

Quite the domino effect, isn't it? Favored gods and all. [ Loki knows that song and dance. there are forces that sweep in and brush all the mythology under the rug, making new gods in their wake. ] Some gods seem to get forgotten among the worship of a single one.

Curiously enough, it seems that the locals, while hesitantly accepting of their fate, see this more as a drain of energy rather than a removal of their gifts. [ a faint shrug. ]

It seems that we have direction now, don't we?
grunehexe: (examination)

video | un; sieglindesullivan

[personal profile] grunehexe 2016-04-11 04:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[This is what Gilgamesh had meant? Goddess, this made more questions than answers-]

So you mean to tell me that you met one of a merry pantheon of deities- or creatures powerful enough to be able to appear as deities- who dwells beneath the sea? What of its countenance? Was it kraken-like? More sea serpent-esque? What is the price that she demanded for more answers? Are we speaking of "human sacrifice" levels of steep? What did these "submarines" you saw look like- could you draw a decent diagram? And ho-

[Actually, wait, another thing just caught up with her rapid fire brain.]

- and did he just say "Achilles, son of Peleus"?
naturallywavy: (《68》)

VIDEO | un: FruitsParfaitSamurai

[personal profile] naturallywavy 2016-04-11 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He has a hard time following, but you know, he thinks he gets it. He appears to be outside, resting against something that is big, white, and fluffy.. but whatever it is can't be determined because it pans out of the camera view.

There's sand and dirt on his face, like he's been busy with something. What a surprise. ]


Sounds like they didn't wipe'em all out like that said they did.
When I had a conversation with them, they couldn't even tell me what they were fighting about with the Dakal since it had been so long ago.

It's like one of those pointless plot twists that has action just to draw viewers back in.
[ gintoki... keep the 4th wall in place. ]
adlantisag: (» 23)

video; un: adlantisag

[personal profile] adlantisag 2016-04-11 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Wipe them out...?

[ That's certainly a lot more specific--and less euphemistic--than what Pearl had heard. ]

Gintoki, explain yourself.
naturallywavy: (《78》)

[personal profile] naturallywavy 2016-04-11 04:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Gintoki's posture visibly stiffens a bit when he sees Kida respond to him first instead of Achilles or Helga. HE'S SEEN THIS GIRL MAD. And not even really, really mad. Like moderately upset mad. Like when you step on a Lego kind of mad.
Not mass genocide mad, so he can only imagine she won't like his news.

His arms cross as he sinks down in his seat slightly, gently sliding further down the flank of his horse-sized dog.
(Sadaharu was the best pillow, it's true.) ]


They weren't as detailed as I would have liked, oi. They said, "we were at war because we were at war, it was so long ago." Also, one said the Dakal was the "last of their enemy and they were wiped out—" do you think they had more enemies than just the Dakal?

Kind of a flippant answer for an entire war, don't you think?
dbag: ɪ'ᴍ ᴠᴀᴜʟᴛ ʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀ "ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ" ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴍʏ ᴘᴀʀᴛɴᴇʀ, ᴠᴀᴜʟᴛ ʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀ "ᴛᴇʀʀɪʙʟᴇ ᴠᴀᴜʟᴛ ʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀ." (pic#10060663)

video | un: RHY5-W1NZ

[personal profile] dbag 2016-04-11 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha. Wow. Too long, didn't read. ...I mean, it's— not literally, because it's not text, I'm just... making a joke that you probably won't get anyway. Never mind. You're long-winded, is what I was trying to say.

Anyway. Achilles, son of Peleus, [ he says with a minor eye-roll. ] And— other person. Achilles' girlfriend. What's the price? Because I'm kind of sensing you didn't find out anything good. Let's just get her some fish food so we can get off this planet.
respired: and yet it dominates the things i see (darkness is a harsh term don't you think)

video; un: deathweaver

[personal profile] respired 2016-04-11 05:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's similarly Koltira's preference to interact face-to-face, hence why he almost always goes for the video on his jewelry. Next best thing.

He's draped over some fallen tree somewhere, near where the grass meets the shoreline, his otherworldly eyes casting an icy blue glow over his pale skin. He's palming a painted shard in his hand, and as he listens to Achilles and Helga speak, something clicks into place. ]


Ah. So this must be Ryba.

[ He holds it up for a better view: it depicts the many-tentacled goddess surrounded by celestial light, suggesting divinity. ]

I found this in the Nalawi graveyard. Perhaps they prayed to her for aid against their enemies.
Edited 2016-04-11 17:04 (UTC)

Text; un: Silk

[personal profile] blacksilk 2016-04-11 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
It would be a disappointment if an overall decline in worship were the cause of this.

It's still unknown if natural or unnatural causes are behind the entrapment of power, but the shift of power from one deity to another would make sense if that was how this world's powers flowed.

What sort of display of faith or worship would be sufficient to tip the scales in that event?

Text; un: Silk

[personal profile] blacksilk 2016-04-11 05:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Are there known names for the minor gods?
nichocolatine: (pic#10160258)

video | username: NAILS

[personal profile] nichocolatine 2016-04-11 05:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ amidst a cloud of smoke, badou tries to make sense of all this... information? look, he likes a good scoop as much as fhe next guy — i mean, shit, he pretty much deals in information — but he's struggling to find how any of this is all that relevant. it still doesn't tell them how to get the nalawi's powers back, it still didn't tell them where nalanni went.

but he supposes he appreciates the context.

aka, congrats, recruits! the victims you're working so hard to help weren't always such victims. ta da ~ ]


Not to rob you guys of your glory and shit, cuz that's all pretty cool and all, but...

So what? We already got a way to get them their powers back, right? I know we all ain't a fan of the bomb idea, but ain't that all our job's asking of us here?
defenceless: (thinking about tea)

( video ) username: Tohsaka Rin

[personal profile] defenceless 2016-04-11 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[she knows only achilles out of the pair, but that doesn't stop rin from openly addressing both of them, unfazed by anything.]

I knew it was too easy to write her off.

[rin doesn't explicitly make it a habit to believe in gods, though it would be a mistake to assume they weren't real here.]

So Nalanni is not within the sea. But if she isn't gone, she's somewhere above sea level, possibly in Nalalona—just as the rumors say—or another volcano. What's becoming astoundingly clear is that everything might not be as we think it is, and we need to be careful.

[now, what does that mean?]
Edited (added a little more!) 2016-04-11 17:44 (UTC)
queenofsalt: (Disgust)

video: un: lessa of pern

[personal profile] queenofsalt 2016-04-11 05:44 pm (UTC)(link)
This is no genocide, this is petty sibling rivalry! If the Nalawaiians support Nalanni and the Dakal supported this other sister, I'll bet Ramoth's tail they started a fight that got their followers involved.

I can't believe we've been sent here to clean up a dispute amongst Lords. Is this the kind of make-work that ALASTAIR is intent on putting us through?

[Almost as if she's got some repressed rage over blood feuds here.]
evantuality: >:| (>:|)

video | un: evan

[personal profile] evantuality 2016-04-11 06:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[Evan appears, looking very worried, chewing his lip.] Oh, good lord.

I didn't think it was pertinent at the time, given the source, but the Nalawi definitely know about that... what was it, Dakal? That one cat-person who's still on the surface. I heard some kids taunting each other with the threat that she comes and eats children's eyeballs at night.

[He grimaces at passing on such soft intel, but it's what he got. Gesturing a nervous little gesture, he goes on.]

I mean, on the one hand that means she can't be causing that much trouble, right? If all she is is an urban legend that kids use to scare each other. But if she's got one of these ostensible deities backing her...

Ugh. I'm going to hate myself for suggesting this later, but we should try and find her, shouldn't we? It's beginning to sound as if we should really be trying to hear both sides of the story here.
selfimage: — ᴍᴄᴋᴇʟᴠɪᴇ — (Where have all the good times gone?)

VIDEO.

[personal profile] selfimage 2016-04-11 06:28 pm (UTC)(link)
I doubt the worship thing is the case, though there does seem to be a certain amount of pigeon-holing in terms of a single deity. [ for him it's less about the worship itself. while it was flattering where he was from, it was also a waste. mortals did as they would. ]

Though, since you asked ... I haven't a clue. It depends on ontological nuance, rather than anything concrete. Who knows what types categorization these deities fall beneath, let alone what defines their existence.

[ he tips his head, thoughtful. ]
Edited (squints at self) 2016-04-11 18:30 (UTC)
timebender: (pic#6110403)

video; un: apocalypseArisen

[personal profile] timebender 2016-04-11 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I knew there was something we were missing, though maybe I was off a bit. If we assume the Dakal were aligned with Ryba, and the Nalawi are aligned with Nalanni, what are the odds that this rogue remaining Dakal, if she exists, is looking for revenge on Nalanni and her people?

[ She pauses, and considers the addition of minor deities to the mix. ]

If I were both bitter and powerful, but not powerful enough to get revenge on my own, I know I would seek out those who are also powerful and also bitter that they are not getting the worship they so rightly deserve. Some of them might be easily swayed with the promise of future reverence.

Text; un: Silk

[personal profile] blacksilk 2016-04-11 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
We're only somewhat aware of the beliefs and motivations of the local populace within these surrounding islands. A withered and wary group of people won't garner much conviction.

There's also little to nothing to say about the outside world, save for the losing side of the Nalawi's war.


[There were enough holes in their information to resemble where they were. They were small facts floating on an ocean of unknowns--and, they were facts that may as well have bordered on rumor.]

Our questions should motion to motivation. Maybe our approaches have been too concrete.
timebender: (pic#6110403)

video | username: apocalypseArisen

[personal profile] timebender 2016-04-11 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Actually, I thought to ask ALASTAIR about that very same thing! Inciting an eruption now is just a stop-gap measure to help some of our more magically-inclined team mates.

So, it is to help us, more than it is to help them, at least for right now.
nichocolatine: (pic#10160293)

[personal profile] nichocolatine 2016-04-11 07:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ oh it's alien girl! it takes badou a moment to respond, mostly because he's busy arching a brow at that colorful username of yours, aradia... nice. where does he get a cool one like that huh! ]

Hang on hang on—

[ he holds up a hand while the other reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose. ]

Y'mean t'say that bomb ain't really for them? It's more for us?? Can I take back my support then cuz that sure does sound like a good way to get some deerfolk real angry at us, and fast!
Edited (why is he texting) 2016-04-11 19:28 (UTC)
timebender: deletethestars (pic#5809023)

[personal profile] timebender 2016-04-11 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Hmm. Well, I think it will help them temporarily as well. Maybe it will be a morale boost? They do seem pretty despondent and I can understand why!

[ She shrugs, but something in her face is sharper than before, like she's trying to measure something up and finding that her measurements are off. ]

Not doing it sounds like a good way to lose the help of many of our teammates. If the loss of their powers doesn't outright destroy them, they might be weakened, or lacking some of the abilities that might be a great help to us.
selfimage: — ғʀɪsᴏɴ — (Black tie white noise.)

VIDEO.

[personal profile] selfimage 2016-04-11 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)
History is written by the winners.

[ it's said almost off-handed, easy and casual. no matter where you were in the multiverse, there were some things that didn't change—and that was certainly one of them, especially in terms of a timestream. ]

This is a rather good example of that, isn't it?
nichocolatine: (pic#10160273)

[personal profile] nichocolatine 2016-04-11 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Ugghhhhhhrghhhhhhhhhhhghh.

[ it's a low, rather pathetic sound, slightly muffled by the hand he's placed over his face. somehow, though, he still manages to keep the cigarette between his lips quite intact. ]

I officially hate magic, [ he proclaims, quite helpfully. ] It ain't been nothing but trouble so far!
timebender: jicheshire (pic#5809050)

[personal profile] timebender 2016-04-11 07:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Aradia's face softens again, and it gets a good laugh out of her. ]

Don't be so hard on it! Magic isn't so bad once you get to know it.

[personal profile] blacksilk 2016-04-11 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
It speaks immensely of how overwhelming that victory must have been.

It had either been so long in the past that age stole the gravity from it or it was such a quick and all-encompassing victory that one could lose sight of it in a few generations.

Genocide, after all, isn't easy for people to forget.
nichocolatine: (pic#10160371)

[personal profile] nichocolatine 2016-04-11 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[ there is a pause as he looks her over — noting the easy shift in expression.

with a sigh, badou leans his chin on his hand, delivering a look of utter melodrama. ]


You trying t'tell me magic'a got a decent personality or somethin'?

Whatever happened to cute bunnies outta tophats, huh? Whatever happened to the good ol' days?
Edited 2016-04-11 19:47 (UTC)

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