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 She'll also give you a letter, which may give you more questions than answers since the information is a wee out of date.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

[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...

gently puts a tw: suicide here

[bulletbiter]

[ Geir was probably talking about magic, so it stood to reason that Julius wouldn't understand much of it. It had often crossed his mind that he may be better off dead than alive. After all, he posed a risk to those around him. ]

I'll find a way to kill myself eventually.

[ It's said plainly, for he had already accepted it. If there was no way to neutralize the Singularity, then he would have to die. God Eaters who turned into Aragami all had to die. It's no different. ]

o/

[rootandbranch]

Well, don't be in a hurry! There are smart people here, with stuff from a lot of different worlds. Maybe we can try something.

[Geir responds just as plainly, still not intimidated by the conversation. how could he be? he's known that his role was to kill and die himself in the process since he was a baby. knowing you might have to die in a different way doesn't strike him as any different an internal calculation.

but if he's trying to explore other options, it stands to reason that Julius could too.]

The eitr in my teeth could kill a world. There's a chance it could kill your... thing, without killing you too. If we could find the right way to do it! I dunno if just biting you would be smart, but if someone knew how to do it a different way, maybe it would work.

[bulletbiter]

[ Geir's impassiveness helps. It made all of it seem normal, more normal than it would ever be back home. The death of a comrade was mourned, but it was also accepted as necessary in the path of duty. here, it truly felt like he could simply disappear like a breeze. He had always felt it would be the best way. ]

My curse warped my body. It's more like a vessel for my self now. A puppet for my soul.

[ He looks into his hands, human-like skin interspersed with white ]

We could find a way to preserve my mind, maybe. But it feels like too much effort.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir picks his head up again to look properly over at Julius in surprise.]

Why? Your mind is pretty cool. You seem like a nice person to me.

[it's that simple, to him.]

I like you. I bet a lot of people like you. Isn't effort fine, like that?

[bulletbiter]

[ These are words that he's very much preferred to hear, but there's a part of him that can't accept it just yet. ]

I don't know.

[ That's a honest answer, at least.

I've spent too long suffering isn't something appropriate to say. ]

[rootandbranch]

[Geir hesitates, then nudges his nose under Julius's blemished fingers. he's shy of the gesture rather than of the curse of Julius's body, but Vern always seems cheered up by petting him. maybe Julius is the same?

it's not unlike an affectionate cat begging for attention by imposing its head under a hand.]

We're not doing anything tonight, anyway! You're sick and tired. There's time to think about it, right?

[bulletbiter]

[ Even if Julius had never seen a cat before, the gesture itself is easy to understand. It distracts his thoughts from what he had been brooding on, at least. ]

Yeah. Thank you.

[ It's hard to not think about it when he's alone, as the Singularity never left him and would constantly be a blight on his awareness. Being with someone else helps. ]

[rootandbranch]

Sure. It's no problem.

[Geir purrs a little in the back of his throat, pleased that Julius accepts the offered comfort, and settles in. he wouldn't mind waiting around like this for quite a while; it's comfortable, here.]