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 She'll also give you a letter, which may give you more questions than answers since the information is a wee out of date.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

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.

[bulletbiter]

[ That's not quite the impression he's been meaning to give, but Geir has been pretty accepting so far. He can probably tell more. ]

I'm not sure if I can go home.

[ He looks down, letting his hood shade his face from view. ]

If I can stay here, I would. Going back to my world would have negative consequences.

[rootandbranch]

I don't see why you couldn't stay with the coven. Even if Qri finishes whatever she's doing, there's no reason you have to go back, right?

[he's gotten a lot better at human cues over the past few months, and Julius hiding his face doesn't pass unnoticed. instinctively, he reacts much the same way as he would to Vern doing the same -- he puts his chin on the ground next to Julius so he can look up into his face as best he can anyway, with wide inquiring eyes. hello.]

--you're sad about it? What would happen?

[bulletbiter]

[ Julius looks tired, definitely more tired than the last time they met. His eyes reflect a subtle gold in the light of the fireworks - which might be strange, considering that they were grey before. ]

My affliction will harm the people in my homeland. The only way to stop it is by removing myself. They'll be safe as long as I'm here.

[ He's a person with quiet, restrained expressions, so not much shows on his face. ]

[rootandbranch]

That is sad, if you want to go back. Do you miss them?

[he doesn't like how tired Julius looks. it might just be the aftermath of the battle -- he feels tired, too -- but he doesn't like seeing it on someone else.

the question is invasive and personal, but Geir isn't thinking of it that way, and there's no judgment or ulterior motive in his tone. he just wants to understand the situation. what would it feel like to want to go back somewhere, and not be able to, without hurting people you liked? it sounds awfully unpleasant. Geir tries to think of anyone he misses at home, and still can't. he liked some of his family well enough, and was even very fond of some, but none of them expected anything but the impersonal dictates of their roles to ultimately govern their relationships. not seeing them for thousands of years or not getting to know someone he liked better was just... part of the territory, how things were.

he can dimly sense the gap between that kind of detachment and his feelings for Vern, but he isn't sure if bridging it is a choice he's capable of making, or how he'd even go about that if he did.]

[bulletbiter]

[ Regardless of his own feelings, his duty comes first. That will not change. ]

It doesn't matter. I'm sure they'll be fine without me.

[ He's said that to his replacement captain, and then to his team again when they visited the spirit realm to see him. Of that, he has confidence. As long as this curse remains in his body, then this is how it should be. ]

[rootandbranch]

It might not matter to what you do, but that's not what I asked.

[Geir observes this fairly dispassionately -- he's pointing out a hole in the flow of the conversation, not accusing. one of the side effects of asking questions because he's genuinely interested in the specific answers is that he's quite good at noticing when people don't actually answer his questions. he's quickly learning that the way they don't answer his questions can be an answer in itself, though. he thinks that this may be one of those times.]

--you do miss them. I'm sorry. If you can't do anything different, that sucks.

[he adds an extra thought on impulse, a bit wistful.]

It seems so strange to me.

[bulletbiter]

[ Julius is not used to being called out, so there's a noticeable silence before he replies. ]

That's fine.

[ As a person forever used to focusing on only the task and not himself, it's natural to speak this way. But as a few people have already pointed out, it was some kind of escapism. He has to fight a battle not only against the Uvi, but also against his own memories. The simplest way to deal with it had been to just ignore it altogether... but that didn't solve the problem, did it? ]

Is Vern your only friend?

[rootandbranch]

[Geir is much more used to being called out than Julius, partly because he's so completely obvious about things all the time. but that particular question does take him by surprise, because it's something he's been wondering about. how do you make a friend? how do you tell?

he answers honestly.]

I don't know. I asked Dirk if we were, but we haven't really had a chance to talk about it much, so I'm not sure.

[he doesn't really know how one would decide that if someone else didn't tell them. are you supposed to just know these things? he simply has no frame of reference from which to judge the matter, no matter how he looks at it. his relationship with Vern is unique, since Vern is his summoner, too; even if Vern rejected friendship at some point, they'd still have that connection.]

Vern was my only friend at home, if that's what you mean.

[bulletbiter]

[ What constitutes a friend, really? He had come to understand that he did not possess many of them. Bar his comrades back home and a few select people here, he isn't sure he can call most people that. ]

From what I know, a friend is someone you enjoy spending time with, and can work together to accomplish your goals. Someone you care about and are willing to sacrifice things for.

[ Very few people, for him. ]

I would think you are friends in that sense.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir is silent for several moments, digesting that, then takes a deep breath. somehow, in that context, what he's about to say is scary to put into words out loud.]

If that's how it is...

Then yeah, Vern is my friend.

[--his chin is flat on the ground, so he can't duck his head, but he suddenly turns his face away a trifle, and draws the tip of his wing over his eyes to hide his face entirely. he takes a second breath, even deeper and shuddering, and then lets it slowly out again.]

[bulletbiter]

[ Julius is not quite sure what kind of emotion Geir is showing, but he can make an educated guess. ]

Friends are hard to find, but they're something to be treasured.

[ He'll put a hand on Geir's scales in reassurance. ]

[rootandbranch]

[takes another couple of deep breaths.]

It's complicated. He was my summoner first.

[his tone is flat and matter of fact, but it's easy to tell that it's because he's controlling it, not because he's not still emotional. he relaxes a little at the touch of Julius's hand.

when he next speaks, it's less flat, his voice softer...]

Is there anyone who-- you care about them so much, you wish you were something you're not?

[bulletbiter]

[ It's easy to answer, if only because he'll never see them again. ]

Yes.

[ He'll pull his hood down, showing golden hair that glows faintly in the darkness and patches of white bark on his neck where skin should have been. ]

Some things can't be changed. We'd just have to make the best of it.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir senses the movement of his hood and lifts the corner of his wing to peek sidelong at Julius again. what he sees distracts him; he slowly lifts his head to sniff at the white patches, eyes going wider. the strange growths aren't alarming, just inexplicable...]

Julius? What's that?

[bulletbiter]

[ Quietly, because he's already accepted it: ]

I'm cursed to become a monster.

[rootandbranch]

Oh.

[that's... that's such an inappropriately matter of fact reaction to that statement? but Geir's already a monster. it doesn't really register as shocking or upsetting to him.]

That's one strong curse... so you'll grow tree bark all over? How will you move?

[and, more worriedly:]

--it doesn't hurt, does it?

[that's the question he cares more about.]

[bulletbiter]

[ Really, the lack of a reaction helps. The less of a deal it is, the easier it would be to keep his head down. ]

The curse will take over my body until I become a mindles killer. I can't let that happen. I'll resist it until the end.

[ It pains him every moment, his blood and nerves burning with the will of something alien - but he's not here to fish for pity, so that'll be left unsaid. ]

[rootandbranch]

You didn't answer if it hurts.

[Geir says it levelly, not expecting any further answer; to him, it's clear this is another case of a non-answer being an answer after all. he sighs, eyeing Julius sidelong; despite his obvious frustration with the story, he still doesn't seem inclined to enact any tragedies over it.]

What's the end supposed to be? If you don't want to become a killer and you don't have a way to break the curse... are you going to die like that, or will you just live till the end of the world trying to keep it from happening?

[it's not... the worst fate Geir's heard of, though it's pretty heavy. maybe being used to god-curses and god-punishments was good preparation for Aimintas after all. he closes his eyes, trying to use all his senses, both physical and magical, to pick up on any elements of Julius's affliction that he overlooked before. can he smell it, taste it in the air, feel it along his skin?]

[bulletbiter]

[ Julius may look human, but there's definitely an inhuman presence beneath. The will of the Earth itself had coalesced itself into a single organism that had transformed his body and replaced his heart - a beacon that transmitted its command to those around it; a will to evolve... and consume.

The presence of his own soul pales in comparison to the brilliant flame of an entire sleeping planet. To the spiritual eye, it would be something akin to a cage or shroud that sealed an ancient power. The fact that it hasn't crumbled is a testament to the strength of his own conviction. ]

It won't let me die, so I'll have to find a way to circumvent that.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir's eyes slit open as he examines that, once he has a better read on it. he doesn't exactly visualize things in a spiritual sense, but he does rely on a more complex set of senses than a normal creature; something in the scent and taste and touch of the world, something strangely overlaid on normal vision. he's a being partly of legend and metaphor rather than flesh, and when he pays attention to that side of himself he can feel the yawning maw of the power.

he recognizes a hunger akin to his own there, and his interest sharpens slightly from the merely sympathetic.]

Can it be destroyed?

[bulletbiter]

[ Could it be, though? It's a question that he's had to mull over for many days and nights. ]

I don't know. If it is dispelled somehow, a new one would arise to curse someone else. I must find a way to end it permanently.

[ Hard to accomplish when one of its side effects is practically immortality. ]

[rootandbranch]

I could try to bite it. I might need to take a god-name to do it, though. It's strong.

[Geir is still slit-eyed, carefully examining the possibility both mentally and physically, as best he can.]

You might die, though. I don't really want to kill you...