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 She'll also give you a letter, which may give you more questions than answers since the information is a wee out of date.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

[rootbound]

That's a strange system...but I guess it's not that different from summoning theory, just turned the other way around.

You can't feel it when you reach out you say. Maybe -- if it's somehow become part of you -- you need to reach inward instead?

[spaceforged]

[He blinks. Then blinks again.] ...That's-

I don't know why I didn't think of that. Will you give me a moment?

[rootbound]

[two thumbs up; take your time, dude]

[spaceforged]

[One breath in, one out. He shuts his eyes and focuses the same way he always has when reaching for Black. Turning it inwards feels odd but,]

...it's there. Just barely. If we weren't merged together, maybe the Qri took that link and used it?

[rootbound]

Could be she didn't want you to feel lost and all alone. Hard to say when I've never met her, but --

[hesitates]

-- well, whatever the reason, I'm glad you didn't lose that.

[spaceforged]

[He pauses,]

...that's possible. I'll have to ask her sometime. [He opens his eyes but trips the magic at the same time. Once again he stands as the lion. He sighs, and hangs his head.]

This is going to take a lot of practice.

[rootbound]

[l-laughing a little, purely startled; he has his hands half up like he meant to brace Shiro if he fell over again, though he lowers them after a second]

Did you do that by accident? There's some inconvenience to you too...I guess they all have pros and cons, these powers.

[spaceforged]

All powers do. But we have each other to lean on and face whatever problems we have with them.

[He walks very slowly to be mindful of his feet. Yes, this will take a lot of getting used to.]

Part of the accident is attempting to use the bond like I normally would. I'll have to relearn how to tap it and use it. Unless something changes later on.

[rootbound]

One never knows, but if Qri's practical enough she'll realize messing even further with powers everyone is half-trained is is just going to get her more of a waste and a mess. Not that this isn't inefficient as is...

[puts a little more walking distance between them, so if Shiro tips he doesn't have to worry about squashing a new acquaintance]

[spaceforged]

[He slows his careful steps to help maintain that distance.]

If they can control that. It might be something the magic itself decides. It's still inefficient and in some cases, forces someone to learn an entirely new way of thinking.

[He only has to adjust his thinking.]

Maybe she'll get better at this over time.

[rootbound]

You've got more hope for her than I have.

[dry and wry; he's not much of an optimist by nature...

the street's opening up around them as they get further away from the market and towards the residential area that houses the coven. it's not too long before they see the right house in the distance]

[spaceforged]

[He stares at it for a moment and picks up his pace to catch up. Once he's walking slowly at a safe fall distance again he picks up the conversation.]

I just wonder how much efficiency is being sacrificed for speed. She's low on power right now. What might change when she regains strength?

[It is a question that has bothered him. Would their own magic increase? Or would it just mean more specific Coven members?]

Anywa- [He trips but unlike last time he manages to recover without toppling over. He growls.]

We'll just have to see what happens next. And who is added to the Coven.

[rootbound]

And do some of our own research, as far as that can go, I suppose.

[he doesn't laugh at the tripping, but he does tilt his head thoughtfully]

Almost there. Does your lion not have night-eyes, like a flesh-and-blood cat?

[spaceforged]

I'm...not actually sure. Normally I'd say yes. But so many abilities just aren't there right now. I'm not even left with any kind of weapons except for fang and claw.

[Later he'll find he can. His head droops in exhaustion.]

I'll have to check when I'm not so tired.

[rootbound]

. . . you should change back. Don't overstretch yourself the first time, that's how mage babies wind up taking week-long naps where I come from.

[fuss, fuss. he is maybe a little bit of a mother hen.]

[spaceforged]

If I change back now I'm not sure I'll make it to the door. Don't worry, as soon as we're inside I'll change back.

[The disorienting feeling of changing between flesh and blood might just be enough to knock him out. Better to play with the cards he has now. They're nearly to the door. He can make it that far.]

[rootbound]

Yikes. Well, suit yourself...

[HOLDS...THE DOOR OPEN FOR HIM...at least if Shiro collapses he can call Geir to lift him onto a couch or something]

[spaceforged]

[He stares at the door. Could he...fit? The answer is no. No he can't. Lion form is just too big.]

Okay, here goes.

[He edges as close to the open doorway as he can get and changes back, his hand snapping out to grab the doorframe. The wood creaks under his robotic fingers.]

...I'm fine. [Just really exhausted. He steps inside and moves to the wall just inside beyond the door and leans against it.]

I can take it from here. Thanks again.

[rootbound]

S-sure.

[he's a little dubious--Shiro looks real tired--but decides he knows his own limits best.]

Some of the ground floor rooms are free still. Uh, call out the window if you need anything, I sleep outdoors and I'll hear it. G'night.