[WORLD ONE | POST-UVI CELEBRATION]

[spellbindmods]

Who: Coven members and Palai
Where: In and around the Aimintas marketplace
When: Day 39
Open/Closed: Open to All

After an appropriate amount of time for mourning, the Palai have shifted into a more positive mood -- they're a very resilient species, though there is a bit of a muted tone to their celebration. The whole event is a little hodge-podge, mostly because they aren't used to having to celebrate with the coven members added to the guest list. The Palai have gathered together all of their people and have invited the coven members to a small, intimate gathering -- the purpose of the event is to thank them for their service in fighting the Uvi, and the success of freezing the Uvi in their home. While no one knows how long the Uvi will stay gone, any amount of time without the Uvi being a concern is fine by them. The event takes place in the very center of the marketplace, with the Palai interacting on the fringes of the party throughout the rest of the large building. The coven members have time to spend by themselves, but there's room for moving around on their own and also spending time with the Palai if they so choose. A ▢ One of the more noticeable editions to the food the Palai have provided is a large pile of sweet, sugar dusted pastries. You may notice that something about them seems...odd, to say the least. It looks as if the pastries are vibrating slightly, but they smell divine. If you're so inclined to ask what the deal is, these pastries are magically infused by Eltos, which somehow gives them a sweeter flavor and enhances the sensation of tastebuds. The Palai sometimes eat these before meals in order to better the flavor of their entire spread -- though adding this energized magic to an already magical being means magic powers may be a little off kilter. Don't be surprised if suddenly your abilities go a little crazy. B ▢ The Palai aren't participating the party for two big reasons. One, the purpose is to celebrate the victory of coven members. The other reason, however, is one that may be more interesting to outsiders. While previously the Palai were peaceful people, happy to exist submitting to the Uvi, the coven's show of strength and valor has inspired them to be more aggressive in their approaches. Grown Palai can be seen working on makeshift weapons, but the idea of smaller tools like slingshots have already been constructed and almost perfected. The Palai youth have discovered these tools and are playing with them gleefully, though occasionally hitting each other -- and potentially you -- with energized, paralyzing rocks fueled with Elto energy. Watch out or you might get zapped! C ▢ Other Palai youth aren't as fortunate to be so distracted and happy. While fewer Palai died during this attack, the casualty number wasn't zero. Most Palai children still have at least one family member to care for them, but they're still a little disconnected from their people by means of grief. Some are milling about with the coven members, trying to eat or pester them for attention. If you're good with kids this may be more your speed, but those bad with children can find this irritating. Some Palai youth are more muted, however, content to just sit and listen to stories or eavesdrop on conversations. D ▢ For some people, rain isn't that big an issue -- but it certainly puts a damper (get it?) on a party. The Palai seem a bit confused by the sudden shower that comes in heavy as the evening dies down. The Palai have never experienced rain before, using irrigation systems and existing ground water as their means of hydration (both for themselves and for plants). Because the rain is coming from the ocean, the drops are large and salty, and the marketplace quickly begins to flood. The Palai move the party indoors for the most part, but that doesn't mean you or the food aren't already soaked. It's much warming underneath the roofs in the marketplace, but that doesn't provide much relief since the ocean rain is warm and humid. E ▢ Wildcard! How will your character handle this violent and volatile situation.

Comments

[splinten]

IT's okay, dude. Circle of life.

['my half-brother is a horse with eight legs' —it takes him a second, and then he remembers that myth about Loki fucking a horse. Oh yeah.]

But thanks. I'd love to meet your, uh, half-brother.

[With the eight legs.]

Men made of metal, yeah. I build them with metal pieces so they can move. Then I build a program, which is basically a set of instructions stored in metal [kind of] so they know how to move. They can vary from having a rudimentary range of actions, like a toy, to basically being people as much as anyone is.

[rootandbranch]

But... why? To be servants?

I guess if the servants didn't have to serve, they could be warriors instead, maybe...

[splinten]

Yeah, some robots are built to that purpose. The Condesce's Drones, which are another type of robot, were built for combat.

[So those are some robots. But Dirk is rattling off like it doesn't matter much, like those aren't exactly his robots.]

Some of mine were built for training. Those had rudimentary AIs, in that it'd be super fucked up to create what is essentially a new life just to program it to fight and die. Squarewave and Sawtooth were built for defensive purposes, rap battles, and conversations. They have a higher level of AI, closer to human sentience. Minihoof was built with Roxy's help so I'd have a small flying horse in my apartment.

[rootandbranch]

[all of that kind of goes over Geir's head, honestly. the ethical considerations and fine points of robot constructions are something that may have to wait forever for him to catch up with the concept, but there's at least one element he wants to know about right now, at least.]

Why do you like building them?

[splinten]

[It is more loaded a question than Geir might think; Dirk could answer in varying levels of detail, but given that Geir isn't exactly seeming to totally understand robots yet, Dirk figures they can work towards it.]

It's sort of like a puzzle you design in your head while you make it. There's an intellectual and creative challenge in working out the form and build of the robot, on top of the physical satisfaction of putting it all together. It's cool.

[rootandbranch]

Because of the making something, or because it's complicated? Or both?

[creation... it's not what he'd expected for Dirk's answer, but it makes sense. creation is a compelling answer for many, it seems.]

[splinten]

Both of those. It occupies my mind and keeps me from getting bored, and also it lets me make something outside of myself that will act independent of me. At least to a degree, that kind of depends on the programming. Sawtooth and Squarewave both ended up being basically their own people.

[For a kid who grew up alone in the ocean, there was a major appeal in managing to make things that could talk to him, interact with him—finding things that he didn't have to puppet into interacting with him, at least as much. Things to make the loneliness less powerful.]

[rootandbranch]

[respectfully]

I don't think even the most skilled dwarves at home were able to make something like that, a device that would be another person. Did they always do what you wanted?

[personhood versus being a tool is something that's been on his mind lately.]

[splinten]

The basic ones did. They didn't have full sentience. Sawtooth and Squarewave did basically whatever they wanted. Sawtooth would fly off for weeks at a time doing his own thing. And Squarewave, who was like an excitable puppy, would get excited and try to get me to rap battle him all the damn time, even if I was too busy.

[He sounds so fond??? Exasperating dog Squarewave]

An artificial intelligence like that can be programmed to be able to learn and even alter its own code. When it has that potential, it no longer is under its creator's control.

[rootandbranch]

Do you miss them?

[having people to miss that aren't Vern is... so strange, as a concept.]

[splinten]

Yeah, a little. They were nice to have around. I have other friends missing, too.

[One who he saw die. One who lived but will go on to be with another version of Dirk, the successful one. He misses them both.]

[rootandbranch]

[awkward but sincere]

I'm sorry. I guess that's why it's easier to only have one person. Vern's here with me, so I don't miss anyone else much.

[splinten]

It's okay, dude. [He pats Geir. Perhaps on the snout.] But it sounds like you don't want more friends.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir looks at Dirk wide-eyed.]

I don't know yet. I've never had any. Just a bunch of family... some of them are okay.

[splinten]

I'm kinda wishin' that the horse I'm supposed to meet is an okay one.

[This is the wrong thing for Dirk to focus on, but he likes horses and thinking about family is too painful.]

[rootandbranch]

Sleipnir is all right. He's much older than us and he mostly stays with Odin. He didn't hold Dad killing Baldr against us.

[families are complicated for everyone, it seems.]

Sometimes he'd play tag with us when we stayed at Odin's hall, till Odin threw me in the sea.

[splinten]

No offence, but Odin sounds like a dick.

Actually, tons of offence. What a dick.

[Dirk]

[rootandbranch]

. . . really? He's not that bad. . . he just wanted me to be somewhere big enough that I could grow to my right size. . .

[IS BEING THROWN IN THE OCEAN A DICK MOVE???????????]

[splinten]

[yes]

Did he ask you if you wanted to be chucked into the damn ocean? Is it what you wanted?

[rootandbranch]

He didn't ask. And I didn't--

[Geir grinds his teeth a bit in frustration, not sure how to deal with the question]

I didn't think about things like-- what I wanted-- back then. I still don't really know...

I didn't mind?

[splinten]

[It's fair, but Dirk has a bad habit of pushing. And Odin tossed a dragon into the sea.]

What do you think of it now?

[rootandbranch]

[Geir looks at him sidelong, not avoiding the question, but not quite sure how to answer it either. the times before he had a reason to defy his destiny and after are such different periods of his life that he's not really sure how to compare them.]

. . . it wasn't bad till I met Vern. If he did it now I wouldn't want it. But back then, what else would I have done? Sleeping in the sea was something to do till I got big enough to do what I was supposed to.

[splinten]

[Dirk listens, and he thinks he understands.]

It kind of sounds like something you're struggling with here is developing your own personhood outside of your function relative to the general world-cycle. Who you are, who you want to be, learning your likes and dislikes. Sort of a self-forming experience.

[rootandbranch]

Yeah! Yeah, that's it!

[HE'S RELIEVED THAT SOMEONE GETS IT]

Could you write that down or something so I can show it to people if they ask? That sounded really smart and I'm not going to remember what you said exactly.

[splinten]

[He. Did not expect that reaction. Geir has a magic power to throw Dirk so easily.]

Uh, sure, if you wanted. No problem.