[SHOP META] War in Heaven

[Meepfur]

Death, Guardian of the Gates of Heaven, has broken free of the chains placed on him by Mkodi, and let loose every mortal soul held captive in Heaven.

[???] Rising

Now that Death has been freed and the Gates broken, Mkodi has arrived to confront him, and everyone else has been ejected from the Haven, no exceptions. The gods will be stuck down on earth for the duration of the battle that is now ongoing. None, aside from his allies (Justice, Thieves, and Rebirth), or someone informed by one now that the plan has been executed, would know exactly what happened or why. Due to the action needing to take place offscreen (certain things needed to happen just so, the trickiness of actually RPing Mkodi, etc.), there's no large godly ORP in which to participate, but everyone is welcome to have their own RPs for their gods to discuss/argue/fight over the happenings.

Now, as for the repercussions for the mortal plane! The two major deities of SoA are duking it out up in the heavens, and throwing a lot of power at each other. Collateral damage is not only possible, but likely: with all the raw power being thrown around, some pretty crazy stuff can happen down on earth - prolonged darkness, natural disasters, weirdly supernatural phenomena (ghostly lights, bizarre noises, unintelligible disembodied voices, etc.), spontaneous geographical changes (splits in the earth, etc.), possibly chunks of the gates and Haven falling down, so on and so forth. If you own a pride, it is your choice whether or not anything will happen to your pride's lands. It's entirely up to you what, if anything, happens within them. However, everyone will at the very least see some pretty crazy lights and things up in the sky, and may experience some freak storms. It should be pretty clear to everyone that something is happening up there.

If and when there are any physical changes in SoA's 'rogue' lands, they will be noted here, but small-scale things such as odd weather, inexplicable darkness, ghost lights, tremors, and so on can be assumed as you like.

If you have a deceased character, yes, this means their soul is currently loose, but it is not playable. They don't have any real will or consciousness in their current state, and cannot interact or be interacted with as any kind of ghost or poltergeist, nor can they be felt in dreams, visions, tingles, or in any other way, shape, or form. They can only be actively discerned by Death or Souls at this point in time. There will be no possessions or hauntings, although a location or two may pop up that just gives people "the creeps." Again, this will be noted if and when it happens.

More information will appear here as it is released.
 

[Meepfur]

An End
For the sake of a new beginning.

After months of conflict in the skies over the earth, and the resulting natural and even supernatural disasters created by the excess of magic, things have finally fallen quiet. The freak storms have dissipated, the cycles of day and night are once again in their natural rhythm, and in time, the seasons will follow suit. Evidence of the strange times remain, such as objects that fell to earth, as well as the physical scars from the disasters that wracked the world, and the same strange activity continues at The Maw and The Lake of Sighs. And while the most impressive supernatural phenomena have ceased, here and there a ghostly presence or unintelligible whisper might linger.

As for the Haven, the gods may now return, but it will not be as they remember it. It is no longer the beautiful, shining place it once was, and much lies in blackened ruin. It may well remain so for some time, as more pressing tasks require the attention of the War's victor.

Death has won. Mkodi has fled or been banished, but regardless of the details is once again out of reach of any within the realms. The black god who defeated her is accessible to very few, as he begins the arduous task of seeing through his vision of a better resting place for mortal souls, where they can be sorted and looked after accordingly - and perhaps, now and then, given another chance. For this is how it was meant to be, when he first reached an agreement with Mkodi. Before he was betrayed, and imprisoned, so that she would have no equal, and would have to share "her" world with no other. Unfortunately, to fix things, he had to break them first, and there are countless drifting souls to be collected and brought to safety. It will be a long, long process.

The world itself has been badly damaged in many places. Always quick to fall to war, humans have all but destroyed themselves; scarce few remain, and their cities and settlements lie in ruin.

This means...
•Some of the effects and magic may dissipate more gradually, so anyone with plots related to the freakiness of the shop meta could have a few IC weeks before things go back to normal, so you have time to wrap things as necessary.
•Yep, humans are gone. This means that yes, ruined towns and cities may now be used as settings. Keep in mind, however, that there are none in close proximity to traditional SoA lands, so to find anything bigger than a village would probably take at least a week or two of travel for the average SoA; for anything amounting to a city, you'd be more in the realm of a few weeks to a month. (Also remember that this is circa early 1970s Africa.) Any technology they might find is bricked and useless, and they still shouldn't be grabbing and wearing more modern items, so don't request them as edits.
•It is possible that we will have future occasions of spillovers of magic as Death works on his 'renovations,' and if so, these will be noted. The Maw and Lake of Sighs remain playable as laid out originally, while the random event generator is retired (but may be used for backlogged RPs) as of 2/25/2019.
•And now we get to one of the driving forces behind this meta, which was to open up within the lore the possibility of reincarnation. There are, however, some fairly strict requirements, and you can read up on it all here.
•ICly, reincarnation was previously extremely rare, and required some collaboration and sneaking around on the part of Death and one of his allies. All such previous instances will, for now, remain shop-controlled.  

[Meepfur]

Lake of Sighs

One of the many tremors across the lands has split a previously peaceful region of unclaimed land about a day's walk from the Te'a-Nakhun border, opening up a crater into which water has begun to rush up from below.  It...might be water?  Then again, it has a rusty-black color and an acrid odor, so...maybe not?  It would take a very desperate or foolish soul to drink or swim in it and find out the hard way.

It is on the mainland, about a day's walk inland from the sea. The sides of the crater are steep and crumbling, and getting down them (or back up again!) would be a tricky task for an adventurer to accomplish without falling in.  As to why they might want to, well, there are some very interesting noises coming from the water, remiscent of voices and yet not, and darting lights and shadows just below the surface...

Interaction with or around the Lake of Sighs is optional, but if you choose to RP in its vicinity, each character must roll a 1d12.

Quote:

1-3. You not only hear something, you see something, and an unusually strong curiosity pulls you to the edge...and the earth gives way beneath you, and you fall!  You tumble down into the dark, acrid liquid. (Roll a 1d4!)

1. Something grabs ahold of you and pulls you down!  Down, down into the dark.  Just when you're about to black out, it releases you and you struggle back to the surface, and are eventually able to climb out of the crater.  You swallowed a lot of water, though, and will be deathly ill and fevered for at least three days, and spend a further three weeks clawing your way back to health.  As if that weren't bad enough, you develop temporary skin issues, and some of your fur falls out!
   
2. Whoa, that was close!  You manage to stop yourself just before you fall all the way in, and only your back feet touch the water - but they were scraped up by the rocky slide down, and the liquid burns on your broken skin!  You'll have tender feet for a week, and could develop an infection if you're not careful.
   
3. Head-over-heels you go, somersaulting right into the water!  You splutter your way back to the side and climb out, but you did swallow some water.  You'll have a fever and chills for two days, but be back to normal in a week.  Aside from your itchy, irritated skin and subsequent fur loss.
   
4. Phew!  You cling to the loose, sliding sides for dear life, and nothing but the very tip of your tail touches the water!  You uh...didn't need that, did you?  Good, because you'll lose some of the hair on it.

4-6. You could swear you heard someone you once knew whisper in your ear, but you can't make out what they're saying!  That's...not creepy at all.

7-9. What is that?  A huge, dark shadow moves under the water, rippling the surface.  You peer down over the edge and slip!  Oh no! (Roll a 1d4!)

1. You skid down, getting a grip just as you splash down into the water.  Whew, close one!  But as you take a moment to catch your breath, something bites down on whatever part of you is in the water!  It quickly lets go, giving you time to get to safety, but it's a deep, jagged bite, and a nasty infection will set in within the day.  If you're not careful - or are just unlucky - you could lose the limb.
   
2. Whoa!  Desperate for something to hold onto, you grab whoever you're with.  You both start to tumble down the steep sides toward the ominous lake below.  Players' choice if the characters only get a partial dip (in which case they will experience skin issues and fur loss, or pain and infection if they have broken skin) or swallow any liquid (a small amount will lead to fever and chills for a day plus a further week's recovery, whereas a larger amounts mean worse initial sickness and longer recovery time: each day of bad illness needs a week of recovery), or just get scraped up by the rocks and each other on the way down. If you're alone, or all your companions have rolled a fall (if they rolled and didn't fall, though, they're going down now!), treat this as a 3.
   
3. You fall headlong into the water...and, speaking of heads, you hit yours on the way down!  Dazed, you struggle to to stay above the water, and gulp some down on your way back to the edge.  You will be deathly ill and fevered for at least two days, and spend a further two weeks getting back to full strength.  You also develop temporary skin issues, and some of your fur falls out!
   
4. You catch yourself just in time and scramble back from the edge.  Ha!  No one saw that, right?  You were just messing around, that's all!

10-12. Yeah, no.  Just no.  This place gives you the creeps, and you are staying well away from the edge.  Surely you'll be safe back here!

 

[Meepfur]

The Maw

Roughly a day and a half's walk from the edge of the Aegnor'hini border, in unclaimed lands, has long lain a small opening to a cave, far too small for all but the smallest of creatures to slip through, if they could find the entrance at all under the brush growing over top of it. Recently, however, the earth has collapsed, widening the entrance enough that even a rhino could fit into the mouth...if they fancy a trip down into darkness. The cave starts to grow steadily narrower about twenty feet in, and soon enough a large lion would find themselves having to squeeze.

That's also when it gets very, very dark, as you're deprived of any ambient light: even felines will find themselves blinded by the depth of the shadow, and will have to find their way using their other senses, very likely getting bruised and scraped in the process. After an indeterminately long stretch of time, you find yourself in a cavern illuminated by low, unnatural light.

RP in The Maw is optional, but if you choose to play here, each character must roll a 1d12.

Quote:

1-3. A sound from deeper back in the cavern, where the light fades away again, catches your attention... (Roll a 1d4!)

1. You decide to investigate the sound, but the next thing you know, you're back at the entrance to the cave! ...two weeks later, and with no knowledge or memory of what went on in that time. And you're starving.
   
2. In too much of a hurry, you blunder head-first into a low-hanging stalactite, earning yourself a deep gash and a major headache, and are too disoriented to continue or retreat for some time. You must spend at least one post recovering, before you can leave the cave or roll another 1d12 and try again.
   
3. Yowch! You step on something sharp that punctures deep into your pawpad, perhaps even through it! Continuing on with such an injury would be extremely unwise, but after two rest posts, you may roll another 1d12 to try again...but will later find yourself the victim of a serious, life-threatening infection.
   
4. You do your best to follow the sound, but eventually reach a space that's a bit too tight and get stuck! You do manage to wriggle your way free (or are helped by a friend to do so), but you're rather scraped up for your trouble. Whatever produced the sound, you're unable to follow it. You may either leave the cave, or roll another 1d12 to continue exploring.

4-6. Something unseen brushes against you, leaving you chilled to the bone and struck by fear, rational or no. Maybe...maybe this wasn't such a good idea? If you choose to ignore better judgement, you may roll another 1d12; otherwise, get out of here fast!

7-9. Several feet ahead of you, a small orb of colorless glow drifts out from behind a thick stalagmite, but oddly, it doesn't seem to be the source of the light in the cavern. (Roll a 1d4!)

1. Entranced, you move toward the will-o-wisp until you're almost close enough to touch it, but before you can, it zips straight through you! You spasm and black out, and don't wake for half a day, no matter what is done to you in the meantime. When you wake, you know only the vague terror of a freshly-forgotten nightmare, and can't leave fast enough.
   
2. The wisp starts to float away from you, and before it can get away, you pounce! The light winks out as an excruciating, burning pain shoots into your paws, up your legs and through your whole body. You're temporarily incapacitated, and after two rest posts, may either leave or roll another 1d12.
   
3. You reach the wisp, bit are reluctant to touch it. As you stare at it, enthralled, you are consumed by the memory of the most frightening moment or nightmare of your life - not just the sights, but the feelings, like it's happening all over again. When you recover, you race from the cave, but in your hurry sustain a moderate-to-severe injury.
   
4. You are so compelled by the sight of the whisp that you follow it without regard to your surroundings, and when it floats through a cavern wall, you run right into said wall. Ouch! After one rest post, you may either leave or roll another 1d12.

10-12. It's still awfully dark in here, phantom light or no! You investigate the area to the best of your ability, finding a few offshoots that lead deeper into renewed shadow...but if you go down any, you'll surely find yourself lost. You can turn back now if you choose, but if you try to explore, you do get lost, for anywhere from a few hours to a few days, before you find your way out again. You find nothing notable in that time.

 

[Meepfur]

That's Not Natural...
a random event generator!

This RNG is discontinued effective 2/25/2019, although it may be used for backdated RPs that would have occurred between 8/8/2019 and 2/25/20019.

This is an optional random event generator for anyone RPing in rogue lands! One player in each RP should roll a 1d20, and they and the other players will then to react to what happens! In some cases, each character will go on to roll a 1d4 to determine exactly what happens.

As with other meta shenanigans, it remains up to pride owners whether or not they want anything happening in their lands. If a pride owner wishes, they can allow this same event generator to be used in pridal lands. Please be courteous and allow pride owners to decide for themselves; do not try to pressure them into instituting this.

Quote:

1. Small rocks fall from the sky!  Each character must roll a 1d4.

1. You get hit right on the head and are knocked unconscious!  You'll be left with a gash at the very least, if not a cracked skull.
   
2. You take a direct hit, but at least it's not to the head!  The rock leaves a good gash, and could crack bone depending on where it hit.
   
3. Just a glancing blow, you get by with barely a scratch.
   
4. Today's your lucky day, and you're not hit at all.

2. Just a nice, normal day!  At least until it's suddenly not day anymore.  It's as dark as night out here!
3. Who doesn't love a good monsoon?  In a matter of a moments, clear skies are replaced by dark clouds, torrential rain, and accompanying thunder and lightning.
4. It really is just a normal day!  Nothing out of the ordinary here.
5. That crackling green mass of light just hanging there can't be a good thing...anyone brave(?) enough to touch it rolls a 1d4.

1. Congratulations!  You're zapped forward in time, and next thing you know, it's two weeks later. (Other RP participants just see this character disappear and assume them missing/dead.)
   
2. Yikes!  You get a good, painful shock.  Enjoy dizzy spells and heart palpitations for a week.
   
3. Whoa!  Where'd everybody go?  Where are you?!  You've been zapped 1-10 miles away (but are still within unclaimed territories - no dropping uninvited on pridal lands!).  I...hope you weren't too near the ocean. (Other RP participants just see this character disappear and assume them missing or dead until/unless they catch up with them.  If multiple characters roll this, they appear in different places.)
   
4. You get such a bad shock that you black out, and after you wake, are prone to dizzy spells and heart palpitations for a few weeks.

6. Hello, sinkhole!  Each character should roll a 1d4: odd numbers are going down, even numbers are safe and get to help their friend(s).  Or, you know, just leave them.  Whichever.
7. Is that a...tornado?  A little lion-sized one?  Maybe uh...maybe stay away from that.  Or not, and get picked up and thrown several feet, and have fun with the scrapes and bruises and possible broken bones.
8. Aww, what cute little will-o-the-wisps!  They drift and dance around, but evade any attempts to touch them, and eventually fade away.
9. Is that...singing?  It's impossible to make out the words or find the source, but it's damn creepy.
10. It's raining frogs!  Gross.
11. Oh, did you think you were in Africa?  A little hot for you?  Here, have a 20-minute blizzard, that should cool you right off.
12. Earthquake!  It's minor, little more than a tremor, but still. It totally counts.
13. The wind kicks up, and a dark, eerie fog blows in.  You're separated from your companions within seconds, and can't see them anywhere...all participants roll a 1d4. (The fog and its effects will last about half an hour.)

1. Something isn't right about this fog!  It becomes difficult to breathe, and after several minutes of struggling and coughing, you black out, and won't be found until after the fog dissipates.
   
2. You see two shapes fighting in the fog.  Is someone in trouble?!  Try as you might, you can't reach them.
   
3. You trip over something and look down to see the lifeless body of one of your companions. (Note: this is a hallucination, but your character won't know that until the fog dissipates.)
   
4. You could swear you see someone you knew who passed away, and they look like they want you to follow them, but no matter how fast you run, they're just out of reach.

14. Nothing strange here, enjoy your boring old day with your boring old friend(s).
15. It's raining!  Creepy, red, disturbingly blood-like rain.  Great.
16. Hailstorm!  If you get hit with a big enough chunk, it could really hurt, or even knock you out.
17. Weren't you just here, like, twenty minutes ago?  You've somehow looped back around, or else this is some really weird deja vu.
18. A whole flock of birds drops out of the sky, all dead.  That...can't be good.
19. You come across a circle of land, fifty feet in diameter, where all the vegetation is dead and black, and several prey animals lie rotting within. I hope you weren't hungry.
20. Players' choice! Discuss with your fellow RPers and choose which of the above situations you want to play.

 

[Meepfur]

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