[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 She'll also give you a letter, which may give you more questions than answers since the information is a wee out of date.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

[spaceforged]

If you practice you'll get used to it. Or the drain will become less and less with practice. Hard to say without testing it out.

But I think you're right. I become a large machine with far more mass. The drain had to be equal to the gain. [Or so he thinks. It is a useful gift if he can get it working right.]

[spaceforged]

I just don't want to hinder the team. We all have to work together to make it. Thank you for the talk.

[He changes in an instant once more a metal lion. Break time is over.]

I hope I'll see you around again later.

[spaceforged]

I don't usually have people randomly implanting foreign energies into my body without asking.

[Not insult, just slight sarcasm.]

[rootbound]

That's a strange system...but I guess it's not that different from summoning theory, just turned the other way around.

You can't feel it when you reach out you say. Maybe -- if it's somehow become part of you -- you need to reach inward instead?

[spaceforged]

[He blinks. Then blinks again.] ...That's-

I don't know why I didn't think of that. Will you give me a moment?

[rootbound]

[two thumbs up; take your time, dude]

[spaceforged]

[One breath in, one out. He shuts his eyes and focuses the same way he always has when reaching for Black. Turning it inwards feels odd but,]

...it's there. Just barely. If we weren't merged together, maybe the Qri took that link and used it?

[teratias]

[That sounds like military or other high class leadership, really. Waver sighs, then points over his shoulder towards a particularly squishy looking green sofa.]

That one's good if you accidentally fall asleep on it. Actually uh....do you want me to just let you get some sleep at this point?

[spaceforged]

That would be good. Again thank you for answering all my questions. [He still has more but those can wait. Sleep is a very good idea.]

[teratias]

Don't mention it. [Waver gives a little nod, then begins to walk off, in order to offer quiet.

Not that he expects Shiro to do anything but just conk out immediately.]

[allconsumed]

I'll make sure it's something you can handle.

Until then.

[There's nothing left for her to say before she turns and departs.]

[talim]

[ even with her back turned to him, jude raises his hand in a parting wave.

that was... certainly interesting. ]

[allconsumed]

[Velvet makes the left turn, but she stops before reaching the end of the hall. For some reason the questions wear on her patience. What does it matter to Magilou if she kills anyone? It never seemed to bother her before.

She still probably doesn't care. So why the interest?]

I haven't yet, and I won't if I don't have to.

[Velvet advances a few more steps, then slaps her right hand on the wall and holds it there. She leans forward.]

I'll tell you what matters: getting back. Even if it's too late. Even if I have to kill half of this coven to do it.

[allconsumed]

Velvet.

[She's acquainted with somebody who used to go by a number. It's curious.]

Were does yours come from?

[allconsumed]

[Is Velvet in the mood for this? No. Never, actually. Regardless, the information is more important than the apology – assuming she's telling the truth. Hard to say.]

You think it's smart to pick a fight with me, Little Miss Genius?

[She's garbage at nicknames, degrading or otherwise. Alas.]

[adjustable]

[Whoa, a knight, he's actually saying that for real he's a knight... Souda's eyebrows go way up, him blinking in surprise.]

You're sure...?

[adjustable]

[Don't worry, Souda didn't do better... actually, his score is markedly lower, also because he was doing it half-heartedly.]

Pilot? Of what??

[adjustable]

Most I've done is just mess with some screws and stuff so far.

[Souda scratches his hand against the pink hair that sticks out from under his hat.] Ain't nothin' compared to actually changing into a different body.

[nockpoint]

[ he had to ask. god dammit. archer scoffs, looking away, all trace of that smile from before gone and dead. ]

Don't pin your wish on that thing they call a Grail. It was never meant for Servants to begin with.

[ a tidy, contained swerve away from answering any questions about what he wants — wanted? whatever it is — and all that he failed at, the sins he committed in the pursuit of that failure. he doesn't even know what he wants. he can't undo it, he can't (shouldn't) be ashamed of what he was, but. where does he go from here? ]

[cuchulainn]

[ it wasn't as though lancer was particularly big on having a wish for the grail, in fact what he wanted was more of a simple 'desire' than wish. simply existing as a servant was enough to fulfill it. but- ]

Really? Now you've got me curious.

[ now was archer going to explain or just leave him hanging? ]

Not that I had much of a wish to begin with, though.

[nockpoint]

[ he waves his hand at the air, ambiguous. ]

The ritual that the mages built for the war — it requires certain things to manifest the Grail. The heart of Illyasviel von Einzbern as its core, a container with magic circuits to inhabit, more than a handful of valuable sacrifices...

[ do the math. why else does the grail never show up until more than half of them are dead? ]

[cuchulainn]

[ ah. now what kotomine had planned to do with rin made even more sense.

at least he managed to kill the bastard. ]

That seems like exactly the sort of thing a mage would come up with.

[ ...as a simple way to put it. he knew he was oversimplifying the matter but, well. it wasn't like lancer to sit and fret about the injustice of it all. not for long, anyway. ]

But it sounds like no one managed to summon it. Or am I wrong?

[nockpoint]

[ don't remind him of the fate he sold rin off to, he spends too much time thinking about it already. ]

It wasn't completed, but... with you dead there were enough Servants to start the process, yes.

[ a beat, and archer goes to stand, tired of sitting and looking up at lancer. ]

You can thank Kotomine's Archer for that.

[spaceforged]

Not at that level, no. But I bet if you used it to mess with a computer or even a spaceship that you'd be feeling it after a while.

[He sits up a little straighter to ignore the itch to sleep for a little while.]>/small>

I wonder if you could use it to understand tech unfamiliar to you? If some of the parts are the same it could be a starting point. Right?

[cuchulainn]

It was a Servant? Not a mage?

[ well- that's right. there weren't many 'mages' left to complete the ritual, and he didn't think shirou or rin would be keen on it.

but, kotomine's archer... the 'how' was an obvious question, but with kotomine involved, it seemed possible. ]

Looks like I really did have the worst Master. Heh, at least it didn't work out in the end.