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 She'll also give you a letter, which may give you more questions than answers since the information is a wee out of date.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

[adjustable]

Oh-- I didn't know we had a house! Yeah! Show me, I was startin' to think I'd have to sleep outside!

[Souda demands in lieu of asking...

He bounds to his feet at once, dusting off his yellow jumpsuit with quick slaps of his hands against the fabric.]

[rootandbranch]

[Geir doesn't seem to expect a please or thank you, because he stretches and stands without the slightest indication of pique. however, he does snap playfully above Souda's head -- a good good five or six feet away, clearly joking again rather than threatening.]

Ha! Not scared of me any more, are you.

[he's kind of smug about that, actually. it worked out. he turns to head through the city streets towards the coven house, glancing back over his shoulder to make sure Soudha is following.]

C'mon, it's this way. I can't take any shortcuts 'cause they're all too small.

[adjustable]

Gyaa--

[It's a soft scream this time as Souda grabs at his head, gripping handfuls of his hat and hauling it down over his forehead even if rationally he knows Geir is nowhere close to snapping at him.] I wasn't scared a second ago!! [ACCUSINGLY and now look what you've done, Geir.

That said, he is following so seems like he's all bluster. Trying to figure out the best way to follow Geir is tricky too and he picks up his pace so he can trot alongside him instead.]

[rootandbranch]

You're not really scared now! Just jumping around like a rabbit.

[he catches on to what Souda is trying to do and slows down to make it easier, head curved towards him so he can watch Souda more easily as they stroll along. it's won't be that far to the caravan, luckily, and the streets Geir is using are nice and wide by necessity.]

They must have dragons where you're from, mustn't they? You recognized what I was.

[adjustable]

N-- not in real life! Just in stories and stuff.

[And, you know, there's like bearded dragons and other creatures but those are just lizards so he won't bring them up...]

A lotta people are all "they gotta exist somewhere" but there's no proof or anythin'. And there's no way we'd have ones that can talk even if they did exist!

[so confident]

[rootandbranch]

Why wouldn't they talk? No one around to have an intelligent conversation with?

[the first question is genuine but he's 100% just automatically trying to yank Soudha's chain with the second. oh no. they've established a banter precedent]

[adjustable]

Haaah?

[Chain yanking: 100% successful.] That's my line! What would dragons even have to talk about besides eating or-- caves or whatever?

[rootandbranch]

[promptly]

Gold!

[adjustable]

...Orrrr treasure. Right. 'Course.

[SIGHS]

[rootandbranch]

Eheheheheh...

[Souda is so enjoyable to talk to! Geir hasn't laughed this much in days. of course, he was in a lot of pain recovering from a huge battle during a large part of that time, but this is also just fun.]

Seriously, though, just in stories? That seems so strange. None of the humans alive on my world knew where I was sleeping, but I think they knew I was real.

[the people of Geir's homeworld were very good at interpreting myths and stories literally, in fact. probably because they were true.]

[adjustable]

[Souda rolls his eyes at the laughing like jeez. Jeez!]

Yeah, just in stories. Myths and legend and stuff. Some people probably still believe dragons are real, 'course, but there's never been any solid proof.

[And Souda's always been very entrenched in real life. Not a lot of time for thinking about dragons, no matter if the thought of them existing has always been cool.

Thinking about it, if Tanaka were here, he'd probably be losing his mind with happiness... He shakes that thought out of his head before it can make him gloomy.]

[rootandbranch]

Your world must be so weird. Are most people not sure if myths and legends exist, where you're from? Why would people tell stories about them if they're not true?

[myths and legends in Geir's world function almost as a warning. for example, if you run into that Loki bastard, get ready to be on the lookout for him tricking you. Geir's whole family is described in stories, and when Geir thinks about it, the same stories of your-cousin-did-WHAT? that he grew up with are the ones that the mortals told each other. it's a cool thought, to think of those family stories spreading over the surface of the world like water, changing a little in their retellings.]

Well, I'm talking now.

[adjustable]

I-- I dunno! That's a hard question! For fun?! And, well, before science was a thing, guess they used it to explain unexplainable stuff.

[Souda jerks his shoulders in a shrug, and gives Geir a look at the I'm talking now like yes, good dragon friend, he can absolutely tell that you're talking. It's very apparent.

Chatty dragon!! He's okay, though, except for how he keeps riling Souda up!!!]

[rootandbranch]

I get that. I want to know about stuff people haven't explained all the time.

[a chatty, curious dragon, apparently! Geir leads them by the far side of the marketplace, distracted again by his self-appointed role as Aimintas tour guide.]

You've probably seen this already, but they usually sell food over that way. And if you follow this part left and make a couple more turns, you'll end up at the house they're letting people use.

[he suits action to words, turning left.]

I don't know anything about it. I've never been inside. The roof is pretty sturdy or it'd have fallen in when I landed on it those times.

[adjustable]

Why'd you land on it if you weren't sure if it was sturdy or not?!

[SOUDA LOOKS APPALLED he's probably imagining the roof falling and crushing him or something. No big deal, it's just Souda being Souda.]

Listen, no landin' on buildings, even if it doesn't collapse the first coupla times, it might if you keep doin' it.

[And now he's lecturing and fussing.]

[rootandbranch]

I ran all over a few of them during the attack! They were mostly fine. They only fell in when you threw giant fish into them.

[gEIR YOU'RE NOT HELPING]

[adjustable]

[GEIR????]

Were you throwing giant fish?!

[rootandbranch]

Of course! There was a fight. If giant fish are there, you throw them.

[war. war never changes.]

The only part that didn't work out was when the one hit Dirk.

[adjustable]

[what kind of war tactics are these]

Then it didn't really work out?! Don't throw giant fish anymore!

[He doesn't want to be hit by a giant fish. That seems like something that would happen to him.]

[rootandbranch]

I won't. There's not enough room in the marketplace to try to land'em there right now.

[DEEP SIGH. maybe you'll be safe from giant fish attacks, Souda. maybe.

they've been progressing during this gripping conversation, and around another turn, the coven house comes into view... it's a large house typical of the ones in the Palai city, surrounded by some sandy soil.]

--there it is!

[adjustable]

[Glares at him in exasperation. He's moved on quickly from terror, yes he has.]

Huh?

[Oh. Indeed, that's a house. Souda looks toward it. Onwards, he guesses!!]

[rootandbranch]

[Geir stops outside, peering in a window curiously.]

Should I leave you to explore? I can't get in there.

[adjustable]

Uh--

[He feels weird about being left alone in a new place even if his only company is this... dragon...]

Just wait outside for a sec, I ain't gonna be long! I just wanna have a look. [IT'S NOT LIKE HE'S LONELY]

[rootandbranch]

[security dragon, like a security blanket but much more metal!

Geir does not seem to be instantly judging him for cowardice or thinking that it's a super unreasonable request, at least; he settles down on his haunches and peers into a window again, trying to catch more glimpses of the inside of the house where Souda will be exploring.]

Sure, I don't mind.

[adjustable]

[If anything, Geir's super reassuring to have on your side. Yep. Souda hides his relief as he strolls into the house, peering around. Of course, when he passes by a window he sees a big ol' eye peering inside.]

It ain't that exciting in here, [he'll say.]