Brave New World

They were noticed a half hour before they arrived.

The Guardsmen atop the city walls, their keen senses trained to observe anything out of the ordinary, had not failed to observe the flight of birds disturbed from their nests and the distant shuddering of trees. The pace was steady. Not of wild Pokémon meandering about, but of something with fixed, determined purpose.

News spread quickly, as it ought. The Council was aware of the situation in five minutes flat, and the guard on the walls surreptitiously tripled in the same amount of time. It didn't take much longer for idle citizens to realize something was amiss, and as the rumors propagated -- There are people coming through the forest! -- so, too, did the number of people thronging at the gate craning their necks to get a look.

They emerge from the forest, their pace brisk and their numbers thirty strong. Many wear attire that is hardy, made for traveling - leather boots, thick wool pants, and long jackets in shades of deep crimson and black. Others, clearly of some higher rank, are clad in suits or other formal wear; a few wear pristine white coats that must have only just been changed. As they approach, most stare coolly upwards at the assembly gathered before them atop the walls of the city.

At their lead stands a man with a mild smile and shaggy red hair. Two others stand close beside him: a young woman in a crisp, fur-lined white coat, sleek black hair pristine and perfectly in place and a gentle smile on her face and an aloof woman with brown hair wearing a sharp suit who appears extremely disinterested in the proceedings.

The company pauses. And there is a long, awkward silence before the man with the red hair takes a step forward. He speaks, and his words, though understandable, have a strange, foreign inflection.

"My name is Rory Donnachaidh. We have come on behalf of our people to serve as a diplomatic presence to your city."

...Another awkward pause.

"...I believe it is appropriate to say - take us to your leader."

He smiles more broadly, as if he's made a joke.

---------

We are Team Evolution.

We represent a group of people with a common purpose - to restore humanity to the peaks it once ascended and to raise up all Pokémon alongside us. We call ourselves Team Evolution for the only path forward for both human and Pokémon is to evolve. When we realized that our signals could be detected no longer, our scouts reported that the reason was human sabotage. Imagine our surprise to learn that a human civilization lay so close to those mountains... But what do I say? You, of course, must all have experienced surprise in equal measures, no?

We have come here for reasons twofold: to establish relations with this city and to retrieve the materials that you have been holding for us. It was a prototype, you see, and we would wish to have it returned.

Of course, we understand that you have little reason to trust us and great reason to drive us away. We will not attempt to enter your city if that is preferred - but we will camp outside, between the forest and the gates, for the space of 10 days, after which we will depart, with or without our materials. We hope you will be willing to speak with us during this time. We would also like to... hold a demonstration to explain our actions, if you and your Council are willing.

Please, come and speak with us if you have any questions. That is an offer extended to anyone in your fine city. I shall personally ensure that any visitors are treated with the greatest of courtesies...

((For approximately 10 IC days, the people of Team Evolution will be camped outside of Union. The next part of this event will require sign-ups. There is an accompanying OoC post to this post here. Please see that post for more details.

Please feel free to use this IC post to talk with the NPCs. All responses here will receive an NPC response.))

We found the source! There's some weird... machines in here! They're making a terrible noise that're making the Pokémon more aggressive!

[...]

My Pokémon're saying the noise's still here - so I think there's more of these machines! So everyone try to find the rest and stop them o --

Grrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaargh!

[Up and down the streets of Union, the message was passed on in hushed whispers and cries of disbelief. What could it mean? Machines? Man-made machines? It was impossible! For half a millennium, the only people outside of Union they had ever known were the occasional Shifters who wandered in from the wilderness. Who had made these? And why? ...To destroy Union? Did they finally have evidence of outside civilization, only to find that they intended to declare war?

As the groups began to trickle back into Union from the mountains, rumors ran rampant...

And in the present, the people of Union wait with bated breath for the next quake to come... 12 hours passed. A day. ...Two days. ......And still, nothing.

On the morning of the third day, the Warp Bands and emergency systems flicker to life once again without fanfare.]

This is the Union emergency broadcast system with an ongoing assessment of the situation.

......At this time, I am pleased to announce that no quakes have occurred for 72 hours, and no further unusual seismic activity can be detected.

[She pauses, as if to wait for cheering.]

The Council would like to express its immense gratitude and recognize all the citizens of Union who so selflessly gave of themselves throughout this crisis - in defending and restoring the city, in preventing the invasion from below, and in traveling into the depths of the unknown to prevent a calamity. For bravery in the face of immense danger, we have prepared a reward for all who lent their help and support in any way.

Though there is much in Union that remains to be done, the danger has passed for now.

[There comes another pause, a longer one. ...And when she speaks again, her tone is grave.]

The Council will also confirm at this time the reports that the earthquakes were partially caused by man. In response, the Elders have prepared the following statement:

[There is a soft clearing of the throat before she continues on. Her brisk, efficient voice seems to become tight with emotion.]

"Citizens of Union,

Since the time of the Savior, we, the Council, have sought one goal above all others: the survival and propagation of the human race, that we might once more live in harmony and unity in the land the gods have given to us, ever mindful that we share this land with those whom we are proud to call our equals and friends. For over 500 years, we have striven to guard the future of humanity, to ensure that we might never tread so foolish a path as we once did so many years ago. Long have we believed that we were the sole remnants of mankind - that any future, if we sought it, would lie solely within the works of our own hands.

Thanks to the efforts of our courageous citizens... we now know that this is not the case.

Union is not alone.

Rumors and whispers have already begun to spread, and we fear we cannot verify or deny their validity. We fear that such is impossible for anyone. We, too, are human. When we first heard this news, we were not your Council. We were nothing more than a group of frightened old men and women, afraid and uncertain of what it meant, fearful, for the first time, of what the future might hold.

But let us not live in fear.

Let us hold our heads high and let us be proud - be proud of our ancestors and be proud of Union, of all that we are and all that we shall be. We are the people chosen by the gods, the children of the Savior, and in honor of Her goals and Her vows, we chose our name long ago: Union. So let us unite! Let us unite in hope and in faith, and if we are truly not alone in this world, then let us meet our fellows with the same unity of heart! And if they so desire, they may freely join in the unity we offer...

The future lies ahead of us, boundless and infinite. Let us venture forth together... into this Brave New World!"

[The final words ring with conviction before the communication ends.]

((This post may be used as a mingle thread to discuss the news mentioned within. Much of Union remains in need of help, but thanks to the quick work of the characters in completing their mission, no towers collapsed entirely.))