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outofshadows2014-12-01 09:54 am
shadowmods) wrote in outofshadows2014-12-01 09:54 am
Entry tags:
Event: Shaldani
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:
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!
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!
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