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 She'll also give you a letter, which may give you more questions than answers since the information is a wee out of date.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

[mech_and_mutt]

[One second, Souda. He's busy on the current round and he's whackin' these things so hard it's a miracle there isn't nondescript hot pink liquid everywhe--

DANGIT THAT ONE WAS TOO FAR APART FROM THE OTHER ONE OH COME ON HE WAS SO CLOSE. But even if it was just one hit from a perfect score, all Red can really manage is another exasperated, rumbling growl as he jams another coin in the slot.]

This ain't about coins. This is about teachin' this stupid game a lesson.

[And with that he all but punches the button to play again.]

Don't worry. Almost done.

[adjustable]

[Oh he can talk perfectly normally.

This is weird. Souda will bring this up in a couple of minutes when Red is less distracted by uh... his vengefulness toward the game?]

What lesson?! You already won?? A buncha times.

[mech_and_mutt]

I know. You'd think it'd get the message.

[A jaunty tune started up as the plush shrimp continuously popped back up to be savagely pummeled back into the baseboards.]

But - it - just - won't - let - me - get - a - perfect - scOH COME ON THAT WAS A HIT!!

[His fingers rested on the bridge of his nose as he took a few particularly deep, particularly exasperated breaths. No sense trying to finish up now, he'd just let this round play out.]

...Sorry. You were sayin' somethin'?

[adjustable]

...Pretty sure these things are designed to cheat you outta a perfect score?

[MILDLY INTIMIDATED BUT TALKING ANYWAY

Mildly intimidated is Souda's bread-and-butter anyhow.]

[mech_and_mutt]

...Huh.

[As the last few popped out in rapid succession, he could almost swear some pop or digit was skipped at some point... but maybe it was just his imagination. It would explain why, even with his precise and expert play, the machine seemed impervious to his--

okay, yeah, maybe it was time for a break.]

Y' may be right. So you play these things a lot or what?

[adjustable]

Not a lot, but it's common knowledge, y'know? They're made to get money outta you.

[That said...

glances at the coin pile]

Though you got way more outta it, even if you didn't get a perfect score.

[mech_and_mutt]

Guess I could call that a victory.

[Even if he hated leaving things like this unfinished. The machine's little 'Play again?' sign popping up at the end nearly brought a growl out from his throat.

But he wouldn't let it get to him this time. He was onto its game, now, thanks to the new guy. And speaking of which--]

Don't think I've seen you around here before. Qri just bring you in?

[adjustable]

[Souda nods approvingly like dude yeah don't whittle your life away on games like this!! Just on, like. Cars. And such.]

Heh? Oh, yeah. Just now.

[Hold on he has an important question for you:] Are you a dog...?

[mech_and_mutt]

Wow. You picked a good time to show up. You don't wanna know what you just missed.

[aaaaaand there it is. But by now he was used to the stares so he waved it off with an almost rehearsed reply.]

Caninu. Apparently it's what you humans'd probably call a 'dog person'. And most people in my world are like me.

I could try and send you a mental picture but you'd need to buy me a drink or somethin' afterwards. Doin' that gives me a headache.

[adjustable]

Pass! This mental... telepathy... whatsit stuff freaks me out anyway.

[Most things have been freaking him out.]

I'm still feelin' I showed up at a bad time, you know... Ugh. [He doesn't like this new world thing, he wants to be baaaack, even if his world isn't great at the moment.]

[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]

What do you mean, before? No-one's talked about anythin' about 'before'...

[Holding back on them SICK DEETS.

Not that being chased by boars sounds like a good time.]

[mech_and_mutt]

[Ohhh, boy.]

...Lemme put it this way. You might wanna get your fill of this place while you still can, because soon Qri's probably gonna send us back to a set of busted-up shacks on a beach 'till we find some new place to meddle in.

[Beat. Thoughtfully clicking that bone between his teeth, he offers the Shrimp Shellcracker 2000 Mallet to Souda.]

Wanna take a round?

[adjustable]

...

[What the hell!!]

I've already had my fill of shacks on a beach, [Souda is bemoaning his fate when oh look a mallet. His hand lifts automatically to take it before he realises what's up.] Uh, I guess I can try it...?

[mech_and_mutt]

Trust me, the way this has all been goin' you'll wanna hit stuff sooner or later.

[Besides, now that Red had finally calmed down from his desire to best this stinkin' cheat of a game he probably should let someone else take a few plays anyway. He plucked a coin tumbling down the pile and put it in the slot.]

What kinda magic didja get, anyway?

[adjustable]

Mannnn, all of you ain't very reassuring.

[HE GRUMBLES but he hefts the mallet in his hand. He doesn't mind playing games and hey maybe hitting something really will get the frustration out.]

Oh, and uh-- technology manipulation.

[mech_and_mutt]

Sorry. Guess I'm just a li'l bit worn out. If it helps-- [Beat.] --it's usually quieter?

[But on the other hand, that power actually does sound pretty cool. He can step back and let Souda take a round while he gives his own whackin' arm a rest.]

Found a good use for it yet?

[adjustable]

Tch, not yet... Well, I mean, I can use it in place of my tools that I don't got right now.

[Instead of using a screwdriver, he unscrews things WITH HIS MIND.

Souda takes a solid whack. Oh. Oh, this is pretty therapeutic actually.]

[mech_and_mutt]

Wait. You mean you can take it all apart and put it back together just by lookin' at it?

[Souda, you are a mechanical aficionado's dream come true.]

That mean you can build stuff from scratch that way too?

[adjustable]

I guess?

[Souda looks back at him with his eyebrow cocking up.]

But part of the appeal is usin' tools to do it! [He's true to his genius mechanic roots, okay!]

[mech_and_mutt]

Oh, right. Right. Of course.

[Genius mechanic or not, someone's sick to death of not having access to his sweet tech anymore, so don't mind Red if he takes a few mental notes here.]

I had to do maintenance on my own sometimes, so I gotta admit there's a certain appeal to the thought of havin' it be that easy.

[adjustable]

[Souda finishes with his game and turns around to face him, interested.]

Yeah? You a mechanic, then?! [he's excited]

[mech_and_mutt]

[A quick glance at the scoreboards-- hopefully this whole just-shy-of-perfect-score problem isn't just his own bad luck.]

Only a little. I'm really more of a pilot.

[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??

[mech_and_mutt]

Mecha. Hang on, you gotta see this--

[By all appearances Red seems to almost strain with how hard he's focusing-- months in and he was still only getting used to some of the more intense parts of this whole 'telepathy' thing. But after a moment of wavering, an image pops into Souda's mind's eye for a few seconds...]



[...But it pops and fizzles away soon after. Doesn't matter; totally worth the headache Red just gave himself.]

ow.