Event: Shaldani

[shadowmods]

Hi, players. December is generally a pretty busy month for people, so this month, we’ll be having a relatively low-key, longer-than-usual metaplot event. Please read the entire post, however, as there are two optional sign-ups involved. The morning of Day 329 (December 8-10), the Egime is going to touch down. Every Net Box in the state rooms will spring to life, the usual handwritten note on the screen:

Welcome to Shaldani. We’ll be here for five days. DO NOT enter any building other than the castle.

The gangplank will open, leading the candidates out to a field, just beside a beautiful castle. Unfortunately, it looks like Shaldani has seen better days. The landscape around the castle is decidedly ragged. Dead grass crunches beneath characters’ feet. And most of the trees appear to be dead as well, bare branches cutting up through the sky like something out of a Tim Burton movie. There’s a lot of rubble around, broken wagon wheels and makeshift graves. Something terrible clearly happened here. Of course, there are other buildings within the five-mile radius of the Egime. And really, are PCs all that cooperative? NOPE! There will be several places that the candidates can visit over the course of the five days:

The Castle: The castle is actually a two-for-the-price-of-one deal. The outer wall encloses a makeshift marketplace. Human merchants with carts are peddling their wares. It’s not much. The level of technology of Shaldani appears to be on par with the late Middle Ages. Candidates can purchase clothes, basic tools, food, wine, and beautifully illuminated manuscripts, mostly telling familiar versions of fairy tales with slightly different names and places. A lot of the items sold appear to be embroidered with the symbol of a phoenix. If they ask the merchants, candidates will learn that the phoenix has become the sacred symbol of Shaldani. As evidenced by the landscape, this kingdom is just getting over a terrible war against a mysterious enemy known as “the Ebene.” None of the merchants can really tell you much about the Ebene other than the fact that they seemed to be into "stealing souls," but everyone knows that they were defeated by a group of freedom fighters called the “Phoenix Fighters.”

Inside the castle, candidates will find that the queen of Shaldani, Queen Darla Dikawa (yes, Dikawa), is hosting an eight-day festival. Guards are posted at every doorway, herding guests into the grand ballroom. It isn’t as grand, these days, the floor lackluster, the walls cracked and peeling, but the people have done what they can. There’s dancing and music to be found, although the strict dresscode demands that no one—man or woman—reveal their legs. Anyone breaking the dresscode will be escorted out by the guards, told to come back when they’re not “naked.”

The Tin Roof: Not too far from the castle is a tavern, the creaky wooden sign labeling it “The Tin Roof.” It’s slightly misleading. The building doesn’t actually have a tin roof. It’s a thatched tavern, just like something out of Lord of the Rings. The lower level is a bar, long tables stretching from wall to wall with wooden benches for the patrons. Against the far wall, opposite the door, is the bar, where a young woman named Kit will serve up mead, ale, and rum. There are some musicians in a corner, playing drinking songs. There’s plenty of singing and plenty of dancing. A spiral staircase in another corner leads up to a second floor, where rooms can be rented. Kit accepts money, goods, or services in return for an evening’s fee.

All around the tavern, however, are handdrawn wanted posters. And guess whose face is plastered on these posters? It’s the elusive Quinn! It seems he’s wanted in Shaldani for crimes against the state. Just what these crimes are, though, is a bit of a point of conjecture. There are rumors to be had (and a sign-up below if you’d like to receive a rumor).

The Mission: Also within the range of the Egime is what appears to be a missionary house. The state religion of Shaldani is called “Wayism.” It’s quite complicated, but it seems to include numerous avatars, saints, and angels existing under a deity known as “The Divine.” Missionaries in orange robes are happy to receive visitors and, though they will proselytize, they’ll also offer goods that can’t be bought in the market, including jewelry, music boxes and musical instruments, and strange crystals that project holographic images when held in a flame. These images are fairly innocuous things, like starscapes, waterfalls, and underwater scenes, but they can be reprogrammed by magic.

The mission appears to be the only place in Shaldani that still has plantlife. In the courtyard, candidates will find a wide array of flora, flourishing. Among other things, they will find marijuana, Maiden Tea (birth control), and healing herbs. These can be stolen, but they’re closely guarded by Deku Scrubs, so it won’t be easy. Teams of two or more will have the best shot.

As in the Tin Roof, there are also a few handdrawn wanted posters for Quinn. The missionaries won’t know much more than the patrons of the bar. Just rumors. (Again, sign up below if yuou’d like to receive a rumor.)

In addition to being able to visit the locations described above, there is going to be a second sign-up. Four characters (two groups of two), are going to be picked up by the local secret service for questioning. This will be a metaplot-related part of the event, for those of you hungry for a little metaplot. The deadline for this sign-up is December 8. After the deadline, I will use an RNG to pick the four characters who will get grabbed for questioning and I will group them. There will be a separate log for this, on the last day of the event (although it will be posted earlier). Please, please, please only sign up if you’ll be available to tag the log.

The evening of Day 333, the Egime will depart. Anyone not on board will be pulled along by the Grasp.

Phew! This is about two pages of a Word document, and there’s still more. Time now for some FAQs...

I don’t want to participate. Is there an opt-out?
Absolutely. Your character is more than welcome to stay on board the Egime.

There are a lot of supplies I can pick up. How can I pay?
The merchants are more than happy, as always, to barter. They’ll accept goods or services.

Can I buy weapons?
Yes. You can buy weapons. However, all weapons will disappear if brought on board the Egime. It seems the captain isn’t too fond of them.

Is there going to be an event log for this?
Yes and no. The mod account will post a log for the castle ballroom and for the interrogation scenes. Players will then be on their own to post additional logs in other settings.

Hey, my character is a vampire. Is sunlight going to be an issue for them?
Yes. In this setting, the sunlight will behave as it normally does for vampires with severe sunlight allergies. If your vampire would normally be burned by direct sunlight, they will be burned. If your character would be knocked unconscious by the sunlight, they’re taking a nap. Of course, Shaldani has days and nights, like any other setting, so the sun will set and your character will still be able to participate in evening shenanigans. Also, please note, the sky in Shaldani is blue, not purple. The stars are actually similar to the ones you might see from Earth, but they’re all in the wrong positions.

Will the guards hurt my character if they show up to the ball in the wrong attire?
No. They will simply escort your character out. If your character puts up a fight, additional guards will be called. You are free to NPC these guards, but if you cause any harm to them, please inform the mods as there will be consequences.

How do I get a rumor about Quinn again?
Sign up in the appropriate sub-thread. Please note that rumors may not necessarily be true, but some of them definitely will be.

What would happen if I ask around about Casey? The queen seems to share a last name with her...
It depends where you ask around. The missionaries won’t know anything. Merchants in the marketplace might recall that Queen Darla had a niece named Casey, but they don’t know anything about her. No one’s ever seen her. Patrons of the Tin Roof will similarly have vague notions about some minor princess named Casey. No one will be able to remember any personal details about her, however. It’s a little weird.

Can my character talk to Kit?
Sure. She'll be about as helpful as the patrons. She'll also probably flirt with the ladies a little bit. The mods will not be NPCing her, however.

What are the people of Shaldani like?
For the most part, human? Characters might spot one or two oddballs, either with long, elf-like ears or short, dwarf-like stature. But for the most part, you're dealing with baseline humans.

For crying out loud, Wizera! You really should be better at writing FAQs by now. I still have questions!
I'll probably have answers. Just ask them in the designated sub-thread. Not on plurk, please.

Anyway, feel free to use this post as a plotting post. We'd like to encourage you to use the post as much as possible, as some of our players aren't on plurk and want to get involved with you!

Comments

RUMORS

[shadowmods]

Post here to request a rumor about Quinn. These will be given out after the plot starts. They may or may not be true.

[tenuefarfalla]

first one on the shiny new rumours thread :3

[rumchocolatesouffle]

Gimme rumors!! <3 please

[somepartsbroken]

I'd like to sign up

Re: RUMORS

[suspecteverything]

Joan wants a rumor!

Re: RUMORS

[alphaophiuchi]

Draco would love a rumour!

[swordofcaine]

Throwing Joshua in

[treadingwater]

I like rumors

SECRET POLICE

[shadowmods]

Sign up here if you would like your character to be in the pool to be picked up by the secret police on Day 333. An RNG will pick four characters.

[prefers_magneto]

Put this guy in the pool please.

[ka_mai]

Tossing Bert into the hat!

QUESTIONS

[shadowmods]

Re: QUESTIONS

[heatedup]

sun! made of fire that noah can hear talking, yes? i'm assuming it basically behaves like earth sun based on the descriptions.

also, since they're so into phoenixes, would natives have any notable reaction to fire powers?

Bert, Ming, Rush, and Lust!

[ka_mai]

Bert: Bert's in the randomization for secret police, and also on one night he will be getting roaring drunk with Robb, but other than that he's all open! He'll be stocking up on supplies and poking around for info.

Ming: Will likely respect the request to only visit the castle, and stay around there. She is entirely open!

Rush: Will be bemoaning another antiquated port, and is definitely not one to stay where he's told just because he's told to. No plans at all here, either!

Lust: Also not one to listen to the rules about where to go, and sort of in the middle of personal self discovery. She definitely needs friends. Entirely open for this plot!

Come, let us Do Things. <3

[ishouldcarewhyexactly]

Totally offering up a Mary for times at a bar or not listening to rules.

Talisa

[talisamaegyr]

Talisa will be gathering supplies for the wedding and possibly talking to the missionaries about their theories on death. She's becoming less afraid, and more curious, about exactly where she was before the Grasp found her.

Anyone wanting to hang out, have an adventure, get their drink on or anything else with her, just let me know!

Re: Talisa

[notrosesshadow]

I'd love for Martha and Talisa to hang out together. Either looking through wedding stuff or drinking.

Martha, Link, Elphie

[notrosesshadow]

Elphaba: Because she's oddly drawn to various forms of spiritualism, Elphie will likely end up at the Mission. She'll also likely be arguing with the monks about whether or not their deity is real.

Link: I'm tempted to send him to the Mission for the Deku scrubs. Also, he'll be around the Castletown.

Martha: Anywhere and everywhere.

[kingofthenorth]

I think it'd be fun for Link and Robb to meet. Maybe Robb can join him for the deku scrubs.

I'm also open for anything with your other pups!

Charlotte and H.G.

[feellikeibelong]

Charlotte will be able to be found in the ballroom. While it may not be as grand as she's used to, it's still something familiar to her. Depending upon her mood at the time of the plot, she may simply lurk in the background and avoiding certain people.

H.G is going to be anywhere and everywhere, basically. Most likely bartering in the marketplace, in the ballroom, possibly even making her way to the mission. Though she won't stay there long because she doesn't like being proselytized at. But she may pick up a couple things from them. Otherwise, she'll be everywhere and available for pretty much anything.

Re: Charlotte and H.G.

[alphaophiuchi]

HG. Bb. How do you feel about Learning with Draco?

[tenuefarfalla]

Cho is definitely going shopping, and she'll go to the party because she loves dancing and it won't seem odd to be totally covered up.

She probably wouldn't go anywhere but the castle on her own, but she doesn't care enough for a vague warning to not go to one of the other locations if someone wanted her to come along with them. Also a good opportunity for her to get some new CR if she goes exploring in a group. Anybody? :D

[punchedaklingon]

Pasha needs to come to Cho and be like 'so um, can I theoretically put my bb in a magic bubble to protect her? is this a thing we can do please?' as she's planning on some serious investigation time. Feel free to worry about the bb, Cho.

Kurt

[rumchocolatesouffle]

I'm totally open :) However at least a portion of the day will be spent with him sitting at Lydia's side like he's been doing since she went into a coma. He'll be reading one of those fairy tales to her probably.

Re: Kurt

[alphaophiuchi]

Cutie. :|

Kurt, accompany Draco on Terrible Adventures of Malfoys Wandering Where They Don't Belong. And feel free to try to convince him that he shouldn't do the thing!

Dorian & Zach

[somepartsbroken]

Dorian is feeling like his old boney self again. and will likely go to the party dressed as fancy as anyone has seen him since the Wedding of Ben and Pasha.

After that will be exploration! I will make sure to make an open log so let me know if you want anything!

Zach's gonna wake up, he wont go to the party but he will go out into the market and be free to be attacked by hugs and what not.

Re: Dorian & Zach

[alphaophiuchi]

Woah Zach. I want things with him!!

Blaine Thorps

[strategic_guile]

Blaine will spend an hour or two each day checking on both Lydia and Matthew, but otherwise his days are open. He may stumble back on the ship a bit drunk and do something stupid because he's worried about both of them, but I haven't thought that totally through yet.

Otherwise, he'll be in the castle, and blatantly flaunting the rules by going to the Tin Roof and the Mission. He's not religious or spiritual, but don't be surprised if you find him talking and asking a lot of questions of the priests/missionaries.

Re: Blaine Thorps

[alphaophiuchi]

Stupid things. Lydia is already shaking her head.

That said, I wouldn't mind Draco running into him. Maybe when he's asking questions or something!

Selene, Tara, Reinette

[thegreenwitch]

Selene: Because Matt is in a coma, Selene is going to be sitting this plot out. It wouldn't be in her nature to abandon him or go out for fun while he's unconscious. So she's going to remain at his side, reading, playing music, and so on.

If someone wants to come by Matt's rooms, let me know. She'll be happy to see other people.

Tara: She's open to port shenanigans. She'll probably be at the ball and could be talked into going where she isn't supposed to. But that's if someone more charismatic manages to talk her into it.

Reinette: She hasn't been to a ball in forever. She's going!

Joshua: Talk about luck of the draw. This is his first event and he arrives just in time! He's going to be exploring everything and doing everything. The idea of being told not to go somewhere is mighty appealing to him, so he'll be wanting to check out the forbidden zones.

Draco Malfoy

[alphaophiuchi]

Draco Malfoy
Draco has always wanted to go to Shaldani, so this is right up his alley. He's going to be asking around for as much information as he possibly can get his grubby little hands on, come hell or high water. Without a doubt, he'll be able to be found basically anywhere around town, nosing into everything. I don't have any other plans for him.

I would also love if anyone would be interested in sharing information with him, if they happen to learn anything else, and I'd love for him to hear about the secret police thing when that happens. Unfortunately, due to a couple issues, I won't be as available for tagging as I could be at that point, so I can't sign up for the log. Sob. So keep the precious knowledge base in the loop!

Lydia Martin
Still coma'd for the immediate future.

Re: Draco Malfoy

[ishouldcarewhyexactly]

Joan would be more than happy to play tag team spy with Draco!

Robb

[kingofthenorth]

This world is of kin to Robb's. That being said, the only concrete plans for Robb is getting trashed with Bert at the tavern one night and going to the ball.

Hit him up around town and what not. I'm open to getting new CR.

[ishouldcarewhyexactly]

Would he have trouble getting back to the Egime as drunk as he might be? Could be amusing to get escorted their by the blind guy that has no freaking idea what's going on.

Pasha, Glinda and Gaila

[punchedaklingon]

Gaila is up for plotting of all manners and currently has nothing to do other than get drunk and make an idiot of herself.

Glinda will be attending the ball but otherwise heeding the warning not to go anywhere but the castle.

Pasha is in the running for the secret police. Will be using her time to try and find out if anybody knows what happens to the people that are taken ie Ben and Christine. Will be encouraging people to ask questions as much as possible and making a nuisance of herself.

[walkthedarkpath]

Dorian wants to escort Lady Glinda to the ball +_+

Noah and Jamie

[heatedup]

Noah is going to immediately go into every building he can find that's not the castle. He's also going to be flashing fire powers around at the natives to see how they react. Also, RNG says he's getting picked up by the secret police for questioning on the last day.

Jamie will probably venture off the ship and explore a little, maybe get some stuff in the market, but he'll probably be staying on the Egime and enjoying the quiet for awhile.