[WORLD ONE | SEPTEMBER INTRO LOG]

[spellbindmods]

Who: The new coven members, old blood & Palai people
Where: In and around the city land of Aimintas
When: Day 61
Open/Closed: Open to All

The initial setting information found here should be utilized for threads here.

There's no official OOC account for the Palai people. You're free to roleplay their actions and reactions on your own, as in depth as you want -- asking questions, hand-waved interactions, becoming best friends. The new world is your oyster!

All characters are told briefly what their powers are by Genette -- no extemporaneous details. For instance, if your character has the ability to detect lies, they'll be told as such -- no warning about limitations, repurcussions or the like. They'll also be given a variant of this letter so they aren't totally ignorant of the situation -- though of course adapt this letter to the current setting and surroundings of the game.

This setting may be familiar to you -- maybe you caught a glimpse of it when you first visited. Maybe this is your first time experiencing this weird world and the panic is setting in. If you're totally lost, a tall human woman with a long scroll of paper will stop by to give you the run down. She'll also give you a letter, which may give you more questions than answers since the information is a wee out of date. (Maybe someone else can fill in some gaps for you). What you may not know is that this world recently experienced something of a tragedy. You wouldn't be able to guess this based on the festive energy in the air. The main marketplace where you've shown up finished reconstruction last night, and after grief comes joy to the Palai -- those lizard creatures you see wandering around. They're now hosting a festival to celebrate their success and the lives of those both still present and those lost. It's also a chance for them to host one of those big celebrations like they'd previously seen in human books. However, their resources are limited -- don't blame them if things are a little cut-and-paste! A ▢ One of the preferred methods for masking grief in the Palai world is playing games. Because the Palai are still on their shrimp kick (the old blood characters are probably sick of them at this point), the shrimp are being used as part of a few festival games: Shrimp Scoop: Live prawns have been placed in a tank of water. Instead of paper scoops, players are handed small scraps of cloth which they may then dive into the six-foot tall tank to try and grab the prawns with -- no hands! And no magic or your prawn will be revoked. For extra incentive, sacks of golden coins have been tied to the prawns. These coins can be exchanged for goods and prizes, though what your character receives for their coin -- no matter how bland or wacky -- is up to your character. Shrimp Shock: Dead shrimp have been placed in a wading pool. Your character and another character enter the pool while Elto shock the shrimp out of the water. With about 20 shrimp in the water, the character with the most shrimps caught out of the air wins an allotment of coins. Whack-a-Shrimp: Eltos have powered six large, stuffed shrimp dolls (made with cloth), that will pop out of cut holes in a large game board. Hit the shrimp as many times as you can in 30 seconds, and your number will amount to the coins you receive. Shrimp Fest: Is your character a big eater? Your character is given a plate of cooked jumbo prawns. If they can eat all 50 jumbo prawns in 30 seconds, they win 100 coins. B ▢ What good is a festival if there's no face painting? Don't worry, you have more options than shrimp. Palai have an assortment of paints and are making colourful designs on both their kin and coven members -- your request may not look exactly as you want it to since they have bumpy hands and claws that get in the way.

This is all pretty juvenile, but fear not! For the mature sort and adults of Aimintas, there's a more quiet part set up that may cater to your older interests. A softer atmosphere, away from the excitement of things. If you want to wind down from the thrill of being magicked away to a new world, this is probably the best way for it. C ▢ Fans of alcohol will find that the Palai have broken out their best spirits for themselves and the coven. Some of these aged spirits are decades old and have aged accordingly, giving them a bitter flavor with a nasty bite of alcohol. Others are more recently distilled or imbued with magic for an extra buzz. Accordingly, some drinks can get you inebriated pretty quickly. Some drinks are essentially giddy truth serums. Others may have an effect on magic or telepathy. Pick your poison! D ▢ The environment in this more secluded area of the marketplace is supposed to be more relaxed, but it's also the best place to sit if you want a front row seat to the fireworks exhibit the remaining Eltos are putting on. Through balls of dye and their electrical powers, they're quickly blowing up the sky with arcs of color that rain down in the form of bright pieces of glitter once the spectacle is over. They also have a special service they're offering -- the Eltos have a grasp on electrical magic, which means they can draw certain things in the sky with these dye balls. If you have a request for a written message or a drawing of some sort, they'd be happy to comply with your wish! For the real adult experience, however, you may want to check out the large rolling cart that Palai are pushing around the marketplace, landing it in the fireworks area. This cart is filled with all of the eggs that were a product of their mating season, and this part of Aimintas is the warmest. E ▢ For newbies and those who missed the egg train, your character can instead be Egg Parent for a Night. The Palai are holding their eggs to warm them for the evening, but (like most parents with new babies) they're certainly trying to show off their creations. Hold them, pass them around -- or maybe even act a fool and fend off a fiercely angry Palai parent.

Finally, the Palai are getting used to the standard familiar faces, so they aren't unaware that there are quite a few new faces in the mix. Based on how familiar your character is, they'll receive a nice little gift from the Palai. Older coven members will receive a scrolled parchment that lists them as honorary citizens of Aimintas and a handmade, harden clay sculpture of their likeness. It may not look a lot like them, but they tried. F ▢ What about new members? Well, they get the Aimintas Starter Kit: an unmarked vial containing Palai mating pheromones (makes your character affectionate, etc), a bag of cooked shrimp, a collection of their baked goods and energy drinks (containing Elto magic that makes magical abilities hard to handle), and a harmless paper flower. Your character likely isn't used to the dangers of some of these items, so maybe someone can help them...or is it too late? G ▢ Because the Palai recognize new faces, these new coven members will be dragged to other coven members who they do recognize. In an effort to help make introductions, the Palai are trying to connect new members with old members in order to foster friendships. Say hi to a new, awkwardly introduced covenmate...? H ▢ Wildcard! How will your character interact with this new and unusual world?

Comments

[hydrostorm]

[ ... the pout is worth it. ]

Cool and menacing. Sure thing.

[ she's smirking so fine. fine! she's going to go about marking up his cheek. it's a surprisingly good skull when she's finished? ]

[hydrostorm]

Guess you'll remain a nonbeliever until you see it in action. Woe is me!

[actus]

[ seems fake but okay? ]

Huh. Okay. That makes sense.

[ tilting his head??? ]

... Are you sure?

d

[actus]

... That's an old meme.

[ that's all he has to say about that???? ]

[yancat]

Don't be ridiculous. I don't have the time to accumulate that many degrees.

[So he was considering it...

So he has more than one......]

But I believe it's an art anyone can master if they persevere. Don't lose heart.

[secrowtary]

I don't mind living in blissful ignorance for a while longer, to be quite honest.

[hydrostorm]

[ that many degrees. okay show-off. ]

Ah. And therein lies the problem! Alas, this poor witch has no heart!

[ also read: she doesn't want to be charming. ]

gomen for late tag...;;

[secrowtary]

They do. To everyone, no exceptions.

[ Seriously, he doesn't want to remember his own first day here. ]

Their curiosity is a bit unhealthy, to put it mildly. But resistance is futile, believe me. I'm sorry that you have to go through this.

[ It's quite rare for Hibiki to feel sorry for someone he has just met, but well. The Palai really want to make everyone get along. A bit too much. ]

Although making connections is important, I have to say. It's just...definitely better when it's not forced.

[secrowtary]

For hours?

[ That's impressive, to say the least. It's a well-deserved break, that's for sure. ]

I believe there's a price, yes. The Qri took my weapons...as for the limit, it probably depends on your magic proficiency. There's no way around it, just practice, I think.

[yancat]

Ah. The poor witch doesn't want to eat one?

[secrowtary]

It's for the best.

[ Okay, enough is enough. ]

Oh, wait. I forgot about one thing. Their mating season has already started, so you're safe...most likely.

[probablynoteren]

[Convenient dissection is actually pretty interesting, or could be, but like Souda said it's something that could also be accomplished with tools; as many different absurd things as he's seen since he got here, Lenka's always curious to see the things others can do with magic that feel more like magic.

Like, he's not really expecting the fridge to start tapdancing, since that seems like it would be a lot harder. And fridges don't have feet. Details. Still, he thinks there could be more to this type of magic.

Souda's little trick does make him sit back a bit in surprise, and then he shuffles in again to put a hand on the cooling unit. Does it feel colder now...?]

You can make it work without power?

[It's not flashy, but it might actually be handy down the road.]

[probablynoteren]

It did pretty well.

[A corner of Lenka's mouth is tugging up as he stares down at the shrimp at the bottom of the pool. He's not sure what he expected, but the shrimp really did "sit" very elegantly; once it's back up, he reaches out a finger to sort of bump it on the head in a celebratory pat.

It swims away from him, oops. He doesn't have the gift!!]

Hmm. Your power works on all animals?

[Since they've graduated from Shrimp Shepherding 101, maybe it's time for something a little more complex. Still more likely to be seafood, though. (At the back of his mind, he has to wonder if the Palai and the Uvi would have counted -- there are other powers in the coven that can influence them, but... maybe it's better to leave that unsaid for now.)]

[secrowtary]

Look what you've done, Hibiki. Just...look what you've done. When he realized his mistake, it was already too late. Fiddling with his collar, he kept wondering if he could cheer her up somehow.

Like, cheer her up for real. This time.

"Perhaps...you could ask Genette if there's a way to let your family know? It's not much, but maybe it'll be enough to set their minds at ease?" Hibiki offered shyly, still not entirely sure if it was a good idea. Honestly, it felt like giving Dizzy false hope than anything else, since there's no guarantee that it's even possible.

[mech_and_mutt]

Might be a good call. It's kinda creepy the first few times you hear a voice in your head that ain't your own.

Trust me, it wasn't this bad at first. Sure there were the wild boars, and... the food poisoning, and...

[Huh.]

...Well, okay, it hasn't been great, but this is still a lot rougher than it was before. Least we didn't have to worry about gettin' wrapped up in some kinda war.

[adjustable]

It-- it ain't just gonna let other people hear what I'm thinking when I don't want 'em to, will it?!

[BIG CONCERN]

[adjustable]

I guess, but somehow it was kinda... y'know... part of the appeal of takin' tech apart is feeling the tool in your hand! There's nothin' like a good, solid wrench or a screwdriver!

[VEHEMENTLY

Souda no-one gets this but you.]

[mech_and_mutt]

[Give him a break, he's never even HEARD of a dragon before.]

Takin' that as a yes. Didn't know you were one of us; I thought you were some kinda big sea monster at first.

So what kinda magic do you have? Can you breathe lasers?

[adjustable]

Really? You really ain't gonna take it? Really, really?

[They should be in a courtroom with how much he's pressing Geir.]

[adjustable]

...Yeah. If the electricity ain't there, all I gotta do is make the parts move without 'em, so...

[Souda trails off, blinking as though he just realised what he did. He looks down at the cooling unit sitting on his knees, says huh and nods absently to himself. THAT'S OKAY. THAT'S PRETTY OKAY.

Maybe this can be interesting after all.]

[rootandbranch]

[Phoenix Wright is yelling OBJECTION on the sidelines.]

I won't! I even double checked with the lady giving gold away that she was really sure about it, so there!

[HOW VIRTUOUS AND MARTYRED IS THIS DRAGON? one out of one dragons surveyed say "extremely."]

[rootandbranch]

I am a big sea monster! I'm a dragon. And no, what's a laser? If you mean what I could do before I came here, I just fly and bite things. And I can make people do what I want.

[secrowtary]

Hm?

[ This is unexpected—her reaction, that is. He hardly considers himself an expert in this matter, to be honest.

Cooking. Cooking is the way to go, as far as Hibiki's concerned. Alchemy definitely isn't his cup of tea. ]

Could it be you received them as well?

[rootbound]

If you have normal physiology for a human -- I am guessing you are human -- and don't feel inclined to be amorous all of a sudden, you're probably fine.

[he doesn't comment on Valko taking the vial. as long as he doesn't use it on Vern himself, it's his business, not Vern's.]

Good luck with the finding-the-way-home part, though. That's been awfully cryptic, or most of us wouldn't still be here.

[rootbound]

They get stronger as you get used to them, for the most part, or you at least get more control. I haven't heard of anyone's getting weaker; sucks to be me.

[it sounds pretty droll, but how oh how he wishes he could turn his power off, even if just temporarily.]

So rather, you got fused with your -- [hesitates] -- vessel? Cat-vessel? That's an awfully direct one.