[WORLD ONE] AIMINTAS (INTRODUCTION)

[spellbindmods]

Who: The coven & Palai people
Where: In and around the city land of Aimintas
When: Days 13 & 14
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!

Just like how you arrived, the process of leaving the hub and reappearing somewhere else is quite quick and uneventful. Brie and Genette gather as many people as possible so that everyone can explore the new world together in a group, which is where they all land once Qri has worked her magic. If you weren't in the vicinity, or thought that not being social meant you'd get to stay on the island, you come along as well, though you didn't exactly show up with the group. A ▢ Everyone starts their journey a reasonable distance from the outer city walls of Aimintas. It's about a four hour trek to the rocks on foot, which Genette tells everyone to move towards -- though you're free to do as you please. You may discover that traveling on your own too far away results in something quite unpleasant. The initial terrain is quite interesting -- it's at least different from the hub island, though you may not be particularly impressed. There's sticky kelp to step in, water in the sky to look at and sand to get stuck in every orifice of your body. How do you like the new digs thus far? B ▢ Genette explains that the gang must enter the city of Aimintas to survive, but it's easier said than done. Maybe as something of an incentive, Genette climbs into Qri's caravan and it floats away, over the rock face. There go all the supplies you brought! The rest of you losers will have to climb through the craggy rock walls, hundreds of feet tall with very few crevices and cracks that are navigable. Hope you can climb...or maybe you can find a way to get through using someone's magic? The sun sets while the coven is busy trying to get through the craggy infrastructure (at least, that's the fate of those who don't find a quicker way to get into the city). Brie locates a large cave in one of the rocks, and that's where everyone sets up camp for the night. If you want to carry on, that's your choice...but who knows if anything that goes bump in the night is out there bumping in the night time? C ▢ What will your character be doing tonight? Sleeping on a hard rock? Stuck awake? Even if they do manage to fall asleep, they may be haunted by the occasional high pitched screech that comes through the night, though the location of the noise is unknown as of right now.

It takes about a day to travel to Aimintas, climb through the rocks and come into the city. Thankfully the city hub is close to the side of the city the coven managed to climb through, so civilization is awaiting. That civilization is decently modern, lizard-like and very, very nosy. D ▢ Upon entering civilization, the Palai are immediately curious and in awe of their taller, bipedal visitors. They've only seen people like those in the coven in pictures, and if they learn that your character has magic? It'll be as if an A-list celebrity just wandered into town. Because they're so enamored, the Palai will readily give coven members gifts as a token of their appreciation. What exactly do they appreciate? Don't be afraid to ask a few simple questions. They'll be more than happy to give out answers. E ▢ Some Palai, though, will want to see some of that magic before they offer up any gifts. Some may be a little demanding, just because their curiosity is so overwhelming. A harsh no will result in an apology and a gift anyways, but maybe just show them some magic anyway...? Even outside of interacting with the Palai, there's quite a bit around here to look at. Genette can be found in the middle of one of the parks, handing out the stored supplies to their owners. (Don't worry, she'll tell you where she is with a little telepathic poke. Your supplies will give you access to shopping and bartering...your status as a magical humanoid thing will only get you so far. F ▢ The Palai marketplace is rather large and home to a variety of businesses, shops and services. Want a good night's sleep? Want to eat a delicious shrimp wrap? Need your hub technology charged? You can do that here. What strange items will you fine? Is their technology level something you're familiar with? G ▢ Finally, the Palai are a people of culture. That culture can be quite unforgiving to those who choose to wander around alone. Some Palai people, after the initial wonder has worn off, will deny services to people who are on their own. It just doesn't compute! Your character is better off with a group of three, but a friend is fine. Travel in groups or couples and your character will find that they get fewer strange looks and questions.

It can be easy to get overwhelmed within the Palai marketplace, so no one will blame a coven-member for escaping the city for a bit. On the outside of the marketplace is a very large house with dozens of Palai congregating -- and my dozens, we mean at least 200. A Palai mate triangle just committed to each other, and this is certainly worth celebrating. H ▢ The guests feel blessed by the presence of a coven-member, and they readily invite any that happen by to the festivities. There's cake, alcohol, drinks, dancing. The Palai people certainly know how to get down. I ▢ Wildcard! How will your character interact with this new and unusual world?

Comments

[parodeity]

i. timestopper

[ they reappear somewhere else but dave barely pays attention to where after ascertaining his friends are still in the vicinity. instead he pauses after looking at them, tilts his head to the side, and then actually smiles.

he pulls out the pocketwatch he drew himself and got fixed over a week ago, and starts to wind the hands to new positions. if he sees you watching, he'll offer in tones a lot calmer and almost more cheerful than he's used any time previously: ]

It was off a little. [ and now he's moving it to be exact, happily aware of exactly when he is, if not where.

the when has mattered more to dave for years now.

but also? the second thing he does is remove his sword from his hip and let it disappear back into his strife sylladex, looking again more pleased about the situation. ]

That's better. [ the sword going into his sylladex is basically the sword disappearing into thin air, for the record. oops. ]

ii. travel montage

a. exploratory
[ dave moves faster than he did on the island. usually it's just weirdly quick reflexes rather than true flashstep - nothing has popped out to make him move that fast - but there's a notable difference in how he holds himself. he's more comfortable with all his abilities at his fingertips, even if he opts not to fly but to stick to the main group. typically he scouts ahead then circles back, occasionally chatting with people he knows about what he sees.

he doesn't seem to mind company on these forays back and forth, though. mostly. ]

b. free rides
[ that looks like a terrible climb. dave's eyebrows raise over his shades, and he glances over. ]

So. I can fly again now, and if you want a ride up...I can probably carry you?

c. nighttime
[ while he'll eventually settle down near rose and john, dave won't sleep much, probably; too many people and too new an area, so he'll sit up to do watches instead, unless his friends sit on him or something. what he will do, though, is offer: ]

I can draw you a sleepin' bag if you want. Those ain't too hard to do.

iii. civilization

a. demonstrations
[ dave doesn't mind showing off for the lizard people - they're kind of like consorts, aren't they? - and twirls the red light-pen he and rose and john made between his fingers with an easy grace before he starts to sketch mid-air. what he makes varies: fruits or toys or pieces of clothing - but he's always fine with showing off.

he...still can't draw. but he is trying to get better. kind of. apples seem to be the only thing he can reliably sketch and make look right. ]

b. movies
[ STOP THE PRESSES, DAVE SUDDENLY DOESN'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE. as soon as he locates the equivalent of a movie theater he is Gone. ]

Oh my god. Holy shit. New movies. And not the goddamned troll versions of old movies kinda new movies.

[ who cares if he can even understand the plots of whatever alien films they've got going on here, or the languages, DAVE IS HERE FOR NEW MEDIA. he doesn't even care who he's talking to; he's suddenly going a mile a minute, and even though his voice is still quiet and monotonous, there's a repressed energy that he doesn't usually display. ]

Holy fuck, you have to come with me. Do I have cash for this - I don't care I'll literally preform on street corners for it. [ !!! movies !!! shit maybe there's new music too. god. he needs to get like a laptop while they're here if he can even scrounge up the cash...or just draw one. ]

c. flash photography
[ eventually through the barter system, dave does get his hands on a camera. it looks familiar in his hands even though it's been a while, and he takes pictures pretty much at random: anything that catches his interest gets a snapshot, and he'll then examine the screen (it's digital, if not as high tech as he'd like) and delete or save whatever it is as he sees fit.

if he sees a friend or someone he knows and likes, he might snap a shot of them, too, without asking.

otherwise, it's easy to find him taking picutres of the most random bullshit. he does not take any selfies, however. ]

d. info-gathering
[ at some point he'll be frowning to himself, though, after speaking to a variety of palai. while he won't exactly open up immediately with what's up, he does give a distracted nod to whoever comes up to him, and a quiet: ]

Hey. [ so that's a thing. ]

iv. weddings?

[ dave lets himself be swept up into the festivities, although he avoids the alcohol and opts for some kind of fruit juice. he will also have cake. for a while he'll stay on the outskirts, learning how the dancing goes, before joining in; it doesn't take him long to pick up on movements, and it's kind of fun in a stupid way.

later, though: ]

I wonder if they have recordings of that song. The last one; it had a catchy beat, you know? I'd like to give it a different spin...

3-B

[burnblonde]

[She hadn't been paying attention until he said 'You have to come with me.' Yang blinked and looked where he was looking--a movie theater? They had a whole world to explore and he wanted to sit in a theater? Well, she supposed it would be different from anything she'd seen back home.]

Uh...sure? Does it matter what we see? I guess we need to figure out how much tickets are first...

[Yang has a few things she wouldn't mind using to barter with.]

This seems really important to you.

i will stall picking a movie until a response, on second thought, but tag anyway

[parodeity]

I haven't seen a new movie - like, genuinely new - in three years. A little more than that, actually? So, like, holy shit. New movies.

[ dave's just repeating himself now... ]

We could maybe do some street magic to earn the cash? Or to, you know, barter. I draw shit that has to count for somethin', right??

cool

[burnblonde]

Wow. I mean...I know people get busy with their lives but three years?

[No wonder he was pretty excited. She considered their options.]

Well it's worked so far...plus the fact that you actually generate items when you draw would be an added bonus for the trade I think.

lots of drama and romance was the answer...

[parodeity]

Hm...I'm not huge on romance, but some of these action films look pretty good?? Like...I think this might be about some kinda action hero. Unsure. Thoughts?

[ it looks like some kinda palai superhero flick. ]

makes sense

[burnblonde]

Ugh. [Yang makes a face, sticking her tongue out.] I'd prefer to avoid romance if it's possible. The posters that are more dramatic are probably are safer bets...but this is another world so who knows.

[She hopes it isn't a trick, but how misleading can posters be?]

IV

[windeity]

[He showed up a little late to the festivities and so while Dave's out there dancing he's hanging back and idly watching. He's not necessarily watching Dave though he's letting his gaze track his best friend among the Palai, grinning at the happy...triad...of lizards...before turning to get himself a drink. He's opting out of the cake, thank you very much.

He's not entirely sure what he's holding (sparkling cider, it seems) but by the time Dave leaves the dance floor and speaks up, John tilts his head in thought.]

A remix? I bet you could ask and they would probably think it was another kind of magic or something. They seem easily impressed.

[parodeity]

[ dave does not suggest john eat cake, because the betas are aware of john egbert's feelings on cake.

how long until john has a cake meltdown someday? ]

They're basically consorts, right? I have the insane urge to go find their stock market and take it over with a series of cunning disguises.

[ stop him.

he eats another bite of cake. he's slowly making his way through the cake? why is he so slow about food sometimes. ]

[windeity]

Leave the lizards alone? [There's a startled sort of laugh, but at the same time:] But yeah, they are basically like the consorts. They're pretty easy to bargain with, too. [He's eyeing the cake before making a face and taking a sip of his drink.]

So. Not a desert, but this place doesn't seem too bad so far. Have you checked out the marketplace much yet?

[parodeity]

Yeah. You always hit the marketplace first, Eggs, that's like RPG 101?

[ come on, dude. also, he caught the face at the cake and deliberately takes a bigger bite of cake, making a show of "mm how delicious". ...which i guess is one way to get dave to eat something? whenever he finishes that bite, though: ]

So what insane loot have you raked in on your bargainventures?

[windeity]

Like you know much about RPGs. [It's said with an eyeroll, and there's an annoyed little frown before he elbows Dave again and probably jostling his arm. Hope you like frosting on your face, jerk.]

I'm still grabbing stuff but I did secure a laptop, so that's pretty cool. And I had an MP3 player but I sort of fused it into this really ugly pot to do a trade. We're here for a while, so I might go back out tomorrow. [There's a bright smile.] I am really glad our sylladexes work again.

ii.c

[splinten]

I'm not entirely sure I can sleep here.

[It's an idle note, not untrue. He has the Peaches knitted toy in his hand, making sounds of the ocean, but his eyes keep flickering up to the sky-seas above, and there's an alertness in him, like he expects to be attacked.]

Indistinct screeching offers way too many warning signs for actually resting.

[parodeity]

Then I won't draw you one.

[ he doesn't comment on the rest. he doesn't seem to have much interest in going to sleep, and instead glances at rose and john. his voice is as quiet as ever, or maybe quieter, and he finds it easier to keep an eye on his friends than to worry about anything else. ]

[splinten]

I brought the math book.

[He isn't sure if Dave will want to do it. He remembers the way Dave looked at him. It was stupid and reckless, he knows, but he doesn't know if that explains it. He thinks Jane would have been mad at him, probably Jake and Roxy too, but he doesn't think they would have looked at him the same way.]

[parodeity]

Oh, right.

[ he flicks his gaze over towards dirk, than back to the probably at this point sleeping betas. ]

I can't right now. [ not without splitting his focus, and the way he's almost hovering implies he plans to stay on guard for the entire night. or at least the portions of the night the other two are sleeping for. ] Maybe sometime whenever we get to this apparent city we're aimin' for.

[ it's cautious and neutral and doesn't give an exact timeframe, for all that he's temporally situated once again. ]

[splinten]

Okay, cool.

[He glances over at Dave. A wry pain touches him; he wants to ask if Dave wants him to leave or not, but Dave said he doesn't like that Dirk keeps asking for things. Is he supposed to mindread, then? He's pretty sure that even if he had that power he wouldn't.

Instead, he asks,]

Sorry. About the thing I did. [Destroying parts of his memories.] I didn't think it through, and it didn't occur to me that it might bother you.

ii.b.

[actus]

You can fly?

[ that apparently hadn't come up yet. then again, akira hadn't really mentioned anything he was capable outside the hub either, so maybe this was just par for the course. still, the information appeals to the childish side of him, the side that still thinks superheroes are cool as fuck. ]

[parodeity]

I can also do time travel shit, but that's less useful in gettin' up a cliff, lbr.

[ BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MUCH HELP THERE... ]

[actus]

Time travel?

[ wait wait wait you can't just skim over that. ]

[parodeity]

Technically, I'm a time god.

[actus]

[ ..... ]

Really? [ i'm sorry, what? ] A God?

i.

[mapsio]

[She's seen a lot today. She's seen a lot in the last while that everyone has been here?

It isn't going to stop her from being completely amazed at seeing a sword disappear into thin air.]

Where did that go?

[She NEEDS to know.]

[parodeity]

My sylladex. It's...kind of like hammerspace?

[ AS IN, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS. ]

[mapsio]

Your sylla...dex? Hammerspace?

[She feels a little behind here.]

So you're making a sword appear into thin air, is what I gather from this. I'm frankly very impressed by this. But how is it happening?

[parodeity]

It's...well, it just goes into my storage space? Honestly, it's weird no one else here had 'em. Back home everyone has a sylladex; it's how you like, hold shit.

[ PICKING STUFF UP BY HAND IS WEIRD OR WHATEVER ]