[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

h

[probablynoteren]

... I can't dance. They really seem to like it, though.

[It's matter-of-fact, with a questioning look. There are so many other people (and creatures) here to dance with!

Actually, this is probably the first party of this size he's ever been to, and he's not entirely sure how to proceed in general -- so Lenka's shuffled himself off to the side after the initial (really overenthusiastic) greeting from the Palai themselves. He's contented himself mostly with people-watching, and listening to their variety of music over a plate or two of food (there's so much food), and is definitely starting to attract some dubious stares for being some kind of lone wallflower.

The trials and tribulations of being not-so-social in lizard society. He might have left if Madoka hadn't spotted him first.]

[soulcomet]

It is a lot of fun! I could teach you, if you want?

[Madoka won't press it if Lenka refuses again, though. a few years ago, she probably never would have had the courage to hit the dance floor — it's a bit funny, what making a contract with Kyubey does for her confidence.]

[probablynoteren]

I guess, if you need someone to dance with.

[She's shorter than he expected (though not quite as short as the lizard people), and while there are other coven members milling about the crowd he's likely been approached at this point because he's the nearest one she knows. It seems a bit much to turn her away. That, and the dirty looks from the lizardfolk have noticeably lessened since they started talking, brief as it has been.

So maybe they can help each other out. Dancing is something he'd never really had occasion to learn or do properly, but he's a quick study when it comes to physical activity, for the most part. Lenka looks around, sets down his plate on the nearest available surface.]

What should I do?

[soulcomet]

Well, there isn't really a right way to do it! You just listen to the beat of the music, and you move along with it however feels best.

[Madoka's dance moves are probably very similar to the pop idols she's seen on TV, to be honest.]

Give it a try!

[probablynoteren]

I don't really...

[He doesn't have a lot of experience with music itself, either, but that's a little harder to explain when he's trying to make sense of the dance floor. So he gives up. Actions speak louder, and all. Madoka's instructions are vague enough that he ends up just sort of shuffle-dancing, unsure if he should follow her lead -- her moves seem a lot more bouncy than any dancing he's seen, here or elsewhere.

He gives it a few tries, though?! So now there's a bumbling teenager and a smaller teenager trying out idol dance moves in the middle of a lizard... wedding... maybe he should try copying the lizards too. This dance attempt is already going off the rails.]

... I feel like people are watching us.

[soulcomet]

That's okay! It's about you having fun, not what other people think.

[maybe ... maybe he should try the lizard dance moves. but you won't hear Madoka suggest that out loud.]

[probablynoteren]

Hmmm...

[It's true that there is even more haphazard dancing than theirs elsewhere on the dance floor, and a definitive part of the attention on them is just because they're not Palai and also magical, but being essentially stuck in the spotlight all day is making Lenka a bit jumpy.

That, and they're technically crashing this wedding.

The lizard dance moves are some strange combination of swimming motions and triangular round-robins, and there are only two of them. So Lenka... tries the swimming thing. He looks kind of like a drowning robot, but he tried.]

This is harder than it looks.

[soulcomet]

[lizard dancing does look a little strange when a human does it, but ... it really isn't that bad for Lenka's first try, honest! a bit stiff maybe? but not bad.]

It gets easier the more you do it — are you starting to feel loose?

[probablynoteren]

... It's a good warm-up.

[He's still not sure how into this dancing thing he is, at least at this point in time and in this situation, but he doesn't dislike it -- so there's that. The more used he gets to the movements, the better he can move; it still looks awkward, certainly, but the robot is gaining sentience. Congratulations.

At this point, the fascinated Palai nearby are starting to copy Madoka's movements and starting to look like Lenka did a few minutes ago when he was trying out both. They're going to turn this into some kind of pool idol session.

Lenka just watches all this go down for the moment.]

What kind of dancing is that? The one you're doing.

[soulcomet]

[Madoka stops, both at Lenka's question and at the fact that she has inadvertently made idols out of a crowd of lizard wedding guests. at least they're pretty innocent dance moves?]

Ah ... I was just imitating something I saw on TV.

[probablynoteren]

I don't think I ever saw something like this on TV. We didn't have a lot of channels.

[Try: they only had one channel. That one official channel with the news and the minor propaganda and the things, you know. Normal shit.

Lenka's stopped dancing at this point too, because the Palai are really getting into this now -- some of them are beginning to make up their own bouncy dance moves, others are busily requesting faster songs, and the end result is that the beat is way too fast now for beginners to follow. They may have to let the Palai work it out of their systems for a little bit.]

[soulcomet]

[oh god Madoka broke them. maybe they should head back to the food table.]

What sorts of things do you do for fun back home, Lenka-san?

[probablynoteren]

[Hopefully they slow down before someone gets launched across the room doing a lift or spin or something. They might want to watch their heads -- Lenka's heading back for his plate, and tilts his head at Madoka once he's rescued it from nearby dance shenanigans.]

For fun? Uh... [actually he's busy training or missioning 90% of the time, he's a workaholic; that being said] We have books. And some recordings of old TV shows.

[He's not entirely sure how to explain Bugarally, since he ends up skipping around in it a lot, but.]

[soulcomet]

I really enjoy that, too! You don't have the internet back home or anything?

[probablynoteren]

We have the Net on base. There's a communications network with the other branches of the organization I work for. Fenrir.

[It's something that's necessary when you're trying to coordinate mass operations, personnel transfer, search and rescue, and all the day-to-day requirements of a paramilitary outfit. Access doesn't extend outside the walls of Fenrir, but few things do.

Lenka assumes she's talking about something like that. They do have e-mail! Super sophisticated 21st century things.]

I think the network here is better.

[He doesn't have a ton of time to go netsurfing at home, even in their stripped down version. But he's pretty sure.]

[soulcomet]

[Madoka lucked out in that the network here isn't too different than how she communicates with fellow magical girls. still ... not used to the text messages, though.]

Fenrir? That's a cool name... It sort of sounds like something you'd hear a secret agent say.

[probablynoteren]

[It's a bit out of the blue, even if it actually describes the type of organization Fenrir is fairly well for outsiders, and surprises a rare breath of laughter out of Lenka from around the strange Palai shish kabob he's taste-testing. There's a lot of taste-testing going on.]

We're not secret agents. Most of us. Just God Eaters.

[As if that's somehow more normal. His world is weird, let's just say.]

Fenrir is named after... a wolf, I think.

[soulcomet]

A ... God Eater?

[Madoka knows a lot of gods here — please don't eat them, Lenka??]

What does that mean?

[probablynoteren]

[No promises -- would be the case if he actually had his God Arc on hand, but practically speaking the gods are safe! Probably.]

Oh. God Eaters fight Aragami, the violent gods. They aren't here.

[Definitely not on Aimintas, anyway; it's far too peaceful for that.]

[soulcomet]

That sounds like such a huge task ... gods can have all sorts of different powers, right?

[probablynoteren]

Aragami are...

[They're probably not gods in the sense that Madoka is thinking of, but they're very close in terms of how humanity in his world relates to them. Vengeful gods, anyway. Lenka gives it a bit of thought, but ultimately he's not the best person to ask for the nuts and bolts of how Aragami work.

So he'll go with his version of it.]

They change a lot, and there are many different kinds. They say new ones with new abilities appear every day.

[Keeping up with them is actually a ridiculous task. Though the variety in the coven might give them a run for their money.]