[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

[oneandmikleonly]

a
[soooooo unless you have the ability to see spirits and things of that ilk normally, you might notice that as soon as the coven arrives on the new world, Mikleo just straight-up . . . vanishes before your eyes. a second later, a small, swirling globe of water appears where he was standing.

weird? that's weird. maybe you should poke it.

. . . if you can still see and hear him anyway, though, this is what actually happens: he breaks out into an enormous, startled smile, then puts one hand out, palm up. the water leaps into existence on his palm, a little silver torrent spinning in place; he sends it dancing over his fingers like a living thing.]

That feels so much better.

b
[he's been staring a little longingly up at the ocean sky now and then throughout the trek to the city (not that he could swim through that ocean, but it looks absolutely fascinating, like the greatest water arte he's ever seen, suspended over their heads.) he doesn't think of trying to use his granted power to move ahead of the coven until they reach the graccy border barring their way to the city.

when the caravan floats off over the craggy rocks, though, he stares after it instead of disbelief, then shakes his head (still mostly unseen), then asks, telepathic and a little wry:]

Okay. Who thinks they're really, really not going to be able to make that and could use a ride up? It might be a bit damp, but it'll be a lot faster.

f
[at some point in the dizzy whirl of the city, you might stumble on Mikleo among the shops in the marketplace, doing his best to politely engage the storekeeper Palai. he certainly looks pretty magical right now -- he's figured out a trick of gathering some water in around himself, so he makes a strange humanoid shape in a mobile cloud of mist and suspended droplets. he can also still communicate with the Palai telepathically. unfortunately, that's not enough to overcome the cultural gaffe of having gone off alone.]

Look, I just need a spare staff, and some bandages. About this long, sturdy, surely you've got something like that -- what's wrong? I don't understand...

[after the initial joyful reception the coven got, being snubbed is not quite unfamiliar, but still a bit weird. please help him.]

wildcard
[other? i'm game for whatever!]

A

[burnblonde]

[Yang had been a little too distracted by the move to another world to notice the disappearance. However, it's hard to miss the sudden floating globe of water.]

Oh cool. This place really is going to be weird.

[She apparently thinks it's part of the world and not the coven. She reaches out to poke it. Maybe it'll burst like a bubble.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[to reach out to poke it, she's actually kind of in Mikleo's space, so he winds up leaning back a little, not quite realizing he's unseen and unheard again yet]

What the -- hey --

[a couple of stubby tendrils extend from the globe in response to the poke as it (and he) back up slightly, batting at her fingers; it's kind of ticklish, not harmful]

[burnblonde]

[Of course, she doesn't hear the protest. She just sees the water respond strangely and feels the strange sensation against her fingers.]

Hmm...maybe more weird than I thought. Seriously, what is this?

[She may be asking other coven members nearby...though no one seems very interested when there is SO MUCH to look at.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[oh, my god. waves a hand right in front of her face to doublecheck, and then facepalms and turns on the telepathy]

I'm still here! Please don't step forward or this is going to get extremely awkward.

F

[teratias]

[Waver had been enjoying his time wandering alone among the Palai. He had hardly noticed the looks he was getting for being alone. In truth, he assumed that it was from being human, not from going about solo.

He notices Mikleo out of the corner of his eye, and tilts his head at the scene playing out. Not wanting to butt in if he isn't wanted, Waver taps into the telepathy instead.]

What's going on?

[oneandmikleonly]

[distracted by trying to split his attention three ways -- between talking to the shopkeeper, keeping himself some kind of universally visible, and answering the telepathic message -- Mikleo doesn't filter as much as usual, so his return transmission's a little plaintive around the edges]

I don't think they want to talk to me. I'm not sure why, they seemed happy enough with us coming here earlier!

[teratias]

That's weird. I've been getting looks, come to think of it, but I thought that was because I'm a weird human.

[Waver doesn't mind the more casual language. He frowns, then takes a look around.

Come to think of it, no one seems to travel alone here.]

Huh...

[oneandmikleonly]

It's not that we have magic, they were happy enough to see it earlier . . . something else? I feel like I've been having trouble since splitting off from the main group.

a

[parodeity]

[ i filled this out back in subnautica so huzzah. dave blinks when mikleo starts doing water magic, but then, he felt time click into place seconds ago as well. he asks, casually: ]

What all can you do with the water, anyway? That's pretty cool lookin'.

[oneandmikleonly]

[he looks almost buzzed; normally the presence or absence of water doesn't bother him that much, but when he's been cut off from a sense of it for days on end and then it returns while they're on a water-rich planet, it feels like a friend coming home]

It pretty much comes down to being able to call it and make it move, or freeze...

[makes a slight tossing motion, in demonstration; the ball of liquid arcs up, and lands in his hand as a patter of frozen blobs, like a tiny fall of hail]

I can't heat it up, though, you want a fire seraph for that.

[parodeity]

Can you make, like, water picture shows??

[ THIS IS PRETTY NEAT. DAVE LOOKS IMPRESSED? ]

[oneandmikleonly]

[he's laughing]

Probably. I'm not normally that showy with water, but I used to do that for Sorey a bit when we were younger. Here --

[the blob goes to circle dave's head; it's shaped like a fish now, thin and quicksilver, blowing 'bubbles' that are also actually small floating solid globes of water, giving him a sort of damp halo for a few seconds]

f

[splinten]

[Dirk recognizes him as more than a weird mistbubble dude, able to actually recognize Mikleo for who he is. He also recognizes what's going on, having talked to the Palai enough to get a sense of them and having had a similar experience.]

We're on the buddy system, dude.

[He steps up beside Mikleo, hanging close to him. He reaches out telepathically for the second part as an aside.]

Try again now. They're social enough that they think it's weird for us to be walking around without one or two other people.

[oneandmikleonly]

Oh--hi, Dirk.

That's bizarre. It's easy enough to see they're social people, but a foreign loner is that noteworthy...? Thank you, though.

[there's a little unease in his telepathic tone because DIRK, MY DUDE, BUDDY, PAL, you're smoking with malevolence some? his attention's split enough that a little whisper of what's wrong...? actually overlays the last part of his answer, a mental echo.

the Palai shopkeeper he was talking to smiles, though, cultural equilibrium somewhat restored, and finally starts answering when he asks for the items again, though; there's a minute or two of hunting around the shop and dickering]

[splinten]

[He senses the unease and feels the whispering question, overlaying it all. He isn't sure what to do with it.

He doesn't ask immediately, however. Instead, he waits for Mikleo to be done his exchange.]

Ready to head off?

[He figures he may as well stick with Mikleo in case there are more things the dude wants. A visible companion may help.]

[oneandmikleonly]

Yeah. Thank you, miss --

[he gives the shopkeeper a little formal inclination of his head. they can move away from the shop and back into the streets. he sounds a tiny bit stilted when he talks to Dirk again]

I'll have to come back later and do some work for her in exchange, but it's nice to have a weapon that won't be inaccessible if I've put it away at the wrong time. I hope you've been having a better time of it . . .?

a

[rebells]

[Jay can hear Mikleo but not see him; he blinks in surprise when Mikleo appears to vanish into thin air and is replaced by . . . a globe of water?]

Don't tell me that's your true form.

[oneandmikleonly]

[looks over at him curiously (...the globe just shifts a little in Jay's direction, since it doesn't have much affect on its own); he doesn't understand right away, especially since Jay's still addressing him normally]

What? What do you mean?

[rebells]

You appear to have vanished. Well, unless you've actually been a floating ball of water this whole time.

[oneandmikleonly]

I . . . oh. Oh. I see.

[he sounds -- not a little upset, struggling to cover it up]

This is normal for a seraph. We can't be seen by humans, usually . . . I suppose that came back alongside my regular magic.

[then, a little brighter]

You must have some resonance normally, though, or you wouldn't be able to hear me.

b

[otokogi]

[ Yeaaaaah, Mitsuki's staring in disbelief too because after walking all the way to get here he kind of was hoping for an easier way to deal with the rocks. It's not that he can't deal with them, he just thought it might be nice to not have to.

So when a telepathic message comes through offering a different way, well. He takes it into consideration, at least. ]

Define really, really. I think a faster way is better regardless but I can definitely get over myself, eventually.

[oneandmikleonly]

Well, I mean, if you feel like it's a serious risk to do that climb, or will take longer than usual? I can give people a ride up over the rocks flying and I don't mind multiple trips, it's just that I can only take two at a time without getting really unbalanced and I haven't really tested how long I can keep at it yet.

[otokogi]

I wouldn't call it risky but it'll certainly be time-consuming. I also don't want to wear you out, though! If you haven't tested it, maybe you should take someone who really needs it first?

[ He's not sure how many replies Mikleo's gotten and his own curiosity about Mikleo's magic doesn't really justify the free ride if someone else needs it. ]

[oneandmikleonly]

It doesn't look like anyone else is asking for a ride at the moment. I'm fine to take you up if you want.