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 She'll also give you a letter, which may give you more questions than answers since the information is a wee out of date.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

[rootandbranch]

--do you think they're smart enough for that? We can't get them to understand us no matter what we do...

[there's a pause-- he senses that Julius is on to something. even if he's not right in the specifics, he's right in the general thrust of his ideas.]

You're right, though. Even if it's not that, they're using the Eltos for something.

[bulletbiter]

Then someone smart enough would be commanding them.

[ There's a grim determination coming from his side. Given all that he's experienced, it didn't seem outlandish that someone would use beasts as tools.

It's happened to him before. ]

Even if not, I wouldn't believe that they couldn't be made to do whatever they need to do elsewhere.

[rootandbranch]

Oh. Oh.

[honestly, Geir can see it. tricking the Uvi into action from the shadows somehow like some kind of puppetmaster sounds... exactly like something his dad would do, actually. he's not going to settle on it as his ultimate theory, but he can't discount it out of hand, either.]

I know people like that. Okay, you could be right.

But if you are, I have no idea what to do about it.

[bulletbiter]

[ It's what the woman who called herself his mother did to him. ]

Find them. Then stop them.

[ By force if necessary. But this is vague, so: ]

That would take quite some time, however.

[rootandbranch]

So you don't know how, either.

[fully engaged in the problem, Geir takes his typically blunt line on Julius's grand statement -- he tends to see things very simply, after all. his next words show that his lack of tact doesn't necessarily mean that he lacks optimism.]

That's okay. If we're thinking it might be true, we can keep an eye out for what happens next. Maybe we'll see things we've been missing.

[bulletbiter]

Definitely.

[ Multiple perspectives are bound to bring more answers. ]

Are you at the festival?

[rootandbranch]

Yeah, I am-- why?

[he sends Julius a mental picture of the fireworks.]

[bulletbiter]

Could I come see you?

[ It's not far away from where he is, keeping himself at the fringes of the celebration. ]

[rootandbranch]

--sure! Please do.

[surprised and pleased; he obviously welcomes Julius's visit.]

[bulletbiter]

I'll be there.

[ It's but a short while until he finds Geir's form spread out on the ground. The youth wears a cloak with a hood that covers his hair. ]

Hello.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir is watching the fireworks; at Julius's approach, he lifts his head and unfurls a wing to give him a place to sit against Geir's side. perhaps not coincidentally, that'll also give him a high degree of concealment from other partygoers, if he doesn't choose to speak up.]

Hey. Are you sure you aren't too hurt?

[can Geir smell any injury on him?]

[bulletbiter]

[ There's definitely dried blood, but also a strange, alien scent that might remind Geir of the same inhuman presence that the dragon picked up on their first meeting. ]

I'm fine. I just mostly need rest.

[ The seat is taken with a nod of gratitude, the blond man closing his eyes for a few moments. ]

[rootandbranch]

[in a rare moment of restraint, Geir doesn't immediately ask about that strange, alien scent. instead, he just lets Julius rest against his side. his immediate feelings are oddly protective; he doesn't usually feel that for anyone but Vern, but he likes Julius, and he seems even more tired than he is injured.]

...not much of that around here lately.

[bulletbiter]

[ That gets a chuckle out of him, though it's slight; as per his calm nature. ]

I hope that'll change. We managed to take out quite a lot of them this time.

[ It's only easy to kill when he's ascertained that his opponents were mindless beasts. Thus he went all-out on them. ]

[rootandbranch]

The Palai's festivals are just as much noise! Though I like hearing that better.

[Geir relaxes further. it's peaceful here, just watching the pretty lights.]

Wonder if they'll keep doing this... seems like they're always ready.

[bulletbiter]

Ready to... party, yes?

[ It's not language he's familiar with, but he's heard someone say that. Large gatherings are things that he tends to avoid out of a need for quiet, but he can appreciate its value. ]

[rootandbranch]

I guess so. It might be a little too much party for me, but I love seeing the lights.

[Geir suits action to words, tipping his head back further to see the continuing fireworks from a slightly better vantage point. he wonders if the Palai ever miss the moon and stars, or if they just don't expect them any more.]

[bulletbiter]

[ The lights are indeed beautiful. They wouldn't be able to make something similar in a world that was broken.

So, an idle thought: ]

How high have you flown before?

[rootandbranch]

How high?

[Geir's startled; he's not entirely sure of the answer to that question, and wasn't expecting it. hmmm... if he gives it some thought, maybe...]

Up to where the air gets thin enough that it stabs your chest. I could go higher, maybe, but there's no reason to. I haven't been set in the stars yet.

[bulletbiter]

[ So Geir too needs air. It's not surprising, but he had perhaps thought otherwise. And it's because no one knows the implications that he's willing to say what he's about to say: ]

Once, I saw a girl who lived on the moon. I thought that perhaps I could visit someday.

[rootandbranch]

Ooooh...

[Geir seems to appreciate the challenge without thinking that's an even slightly weird statement. it isn't, to him. plenty of his relatives are in constellations -- though now that he thinks about it, he's not really 100% sure if that's a literal thing or because they're closer to the Tree now. the line is so blurry, when you're as close to the Tree already as he and his family are.

maybe he could just fly up there?? it wouldn't be the weirdest thing someone he knows has done.]

You want me to take you? I could try. I don't know that I can't. I've just never tried it.

[bulletbiter]

[ Julius shakes his head; he doesn't want to sound self-pitying, so it'll just have to live on as a suggestion. ]

It's quite a dangerous journey, though. I appreciate the thought.

[rootandbranch]

I still wouldn't mind trying sometime. If we ever figure out a good time, or a good way. I'm pretty dangerous too.

[he won't push it, but he really doesn't mind-- he likes Julius.]

Who was that girl, anyway?

[bulletbiter]

[ Space is cold and uncaring. That differentiates it from Geir. ]

I'm not sure. [ Although the vision was fleeting, the knowledge of her existence had been imprinted into his mind. ] But I felt like we were similar, somehow.

[ Both harbringers of the world's end. ]

[rootandbranch]

[Geir yawns, relaxed... he has a vague idea that the social norms he's slowly learning don't include seeing a glimpse of a girl you feel akin to and then heading to the moon to find her, but there's nothing wrong with a little moon trip, in his opinion. it'd be a nice way to meet someone who you wanted to get to know better. the moon is probably even stranger and more interesting than Aimintas.]

It's nice to find people you have something in common with. Now that you're talking about her, I'd like to meet her too.