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ABRAXAS MODS ([personal profile] abraxasmods) wrote in [community profile] abraxaslogs2021-06-12 12:13 pm
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EVENT #1

EVENT #1
Welcome to our very first event! This event will be divided into two parts: one for honored guests, and one for prisoners. There are some opportunities for characters to go to the opposite group's event, so read on below and make sure to check out the accompanying OOC plotting post for extra details!

This event takes place ICly from June 14th to June 19th.

The Summer Festival (Honored Guests)

It's June, and that means the annual Summer Festival in Castle Thorne. The newcomers are causing quite a buzz and, for the first time in ten years, a representative from the increasingly independent city of Nott has agreed to attend. The representative, Lyle Vela, has a lot of political sway in Nott and the impression he takes back with him will affect whether Nott begins to repair relations with the rest of Thorne or moves even further towards independence.

But that's not all there is to do here! The residents of the city surrounding Castle Thorne are intensely curious about the newcomers and several of the events at the Summer Festival have been designed by the mages to show them off. At some point you may begin to feel more like a prized pony than an honored guest, but there are rewards and gifts and good food to be had for all, so what's the harm in showing off a little?

The festival runs all week (June 14th-19th) and the list of events are as follows:
Sparring Contest: Honored guests will be asked to spar in front of an audience. Depending on the time of the week the fight takes place in, some guests may have some or most of their powers back, but the audience is here to see a show and just trampling your opponent in seconds won't do much for them. Try to add some spice to it: a good narrative and a close fight are much more enthralling. You may decide the winner of the fight between yourselves or ask the mods to roll for an outcome below. Prisoners who stay behind can sneak into this event but will not have their powers.

Magic Demonstration: Show everyone what you can do and demonstrate a Thornean magic spell in front of an audience. This should be a simple beginner spell such as a smaller elemental magic spell, some minor healing, a small illusion, and so on. Feel free to decide what spell you'd like your character to perform and post to the header below so the mods can roll for your character's success when performing it in front of the audience! Regardless of success, your character can learn the chosen spell by the end of the event. Unfortunately, prisoners cannot access this event.

The Black Market: Castle Thorne is much less secure during open festivals than it is during the rest of the year, so it's no surprise that some shady characters have managed to sneak in. They're trading potions and magical items, and luckily enough for the penniless newcomers, they're interested in things other than money. They may ask for some blood, saliva, or the chance to perform a spell on the hapless newcomer. Prisoners are welcome in the black market. Please post to the header below to see what item your character gets from the event (and what spell they'll be subjected to if you choose that option).

Visit with the Representative: Near the end of the Festival, three honored guests will be chosen to have one-on-one audiences with Lyle Vela in the hopes of impressing him. Ambrose hasn't had the time to get to know each guest individually yet, so he's asked that they choose the three candidates among themselves. If you wish you have your character volunteer for this position, please make a case for their suitability under the header below! If your character is not running for this position, have them vote for another character. Prisoners who stay behind may vote as well.
At the end of the festival on June 19th, there will be a huge feast available with all manner of fancy food and some alcohol if you wish to get a little drunk. Beware, Thornean alcohol is strong! Prisoners who stayed behind to help out with the festival can easily slip in and take some food and drink for themselves.

If your character has been imprisoned but you want them to attend the Festival, an honored guest may lobby for them to stay behind and help set up. It'll be work, but they can sneak off to have a bit of fun and it won't be as difficult as what's in store for the rest of them. If you wish to have your character stay behind, please post to the OOC plotting post. Because we know that claustrophobic tunnel horror isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, there is no limit to the amount of prisoners who can stay behind.

In the Tunnels (Prisoners)

Good news, prisoners! You get some time away from your cells in the beautiful snow-covered mountains of northern Thorne. A volunteer work opportunity has arisen, and you are all volunteers. If you do well enough at your assigned task, perhaps your prisoner status will be re-evaluated. Or perhaps your supervisor will take all the credit for themselves and throw you right back where you came from. Life's unfair sometimes! You'll at least be given a nice set of boots and heavier clothes to keep you warm.

Your task: to harvest as much crystal as you can from the burrow of a Giant Frostwurm. From June to September, the Frostwurm hibernates and is generally non-aggressive. Huge and territorial, Giant Frostwurms are only rarely encountered and are considered endangered by Thornean biologists. All known Frostwurm habitats are marked and harvested once every few years as the crystals that grow on its body are highly valuable for use in medicine and, erm, recreation although the latter is frowned upon by Thornean authorities. Don't worry, you don't have to touch the Frostwurm itself, it sheds every now and then and leaves a healthy supply of crystals in the tunnels of it burrow.

That's not to say it will be an easy task. There's a reason they're using "volunteer" prison labor, after all. The tunnels are deep and labyrinthine, and it's easy enough to get lost down there and wander in circles until you die of thirst or starvation. The crystals themselves also have a certain disorienting effect that turns hallucinogenic after prolonged exposure and, because of the Frostwurm's unique psychic properties, hallucinations can be shared between individuals. Like a contagion, spending time around someone who is hallucinating can cause it to 'catch'. These hallucinations may be pleasant or frightening, but the only cure is to get out of the tunnels and away from the crystals for a while.

Tunnel cave-ins are also a possibility, in which case you best start digging and hope you choose up. Getting too lost can result in an encounter with the Frostwurm, and while it needs to conserve energy and won't give chase, it'll bite or whip at you with its tail if you get too close. Both prisoners and supervisors are instructed not to kill the Frostwurm under any circumstances, even if it means sacrificing someone in their party. They're endangered, after all!

If your character has been welcomed to Thorne but you still wish to go on the Frostwurm excursion, they can volunteer to be a supervisor. There are currently 24 prisoners and they will be divided into groups of 3, so we will accept a maximum of 8 supervisors (potentially less depending on how many prisoners stay behind to help with the festival). Be aware that supervisors will be in danger as well, and they will be punished if they try to help the prisoners escape, but unlike the prisoners they will be paid for their efforts and seen as having initiative by the Thornean authorities. If you wish to be a supervisor, volunteer on our OOC plotting post.

The timeline for this part of the event is as follows:
June 14th: Prisoners will be led from their cells in chains to a Thornean fast-travel portal (a glowing circle of neon light) that will take them about a mile away from the Frostwurm's burrow. It's cold and the air is thin, so they'll be given the rest of the day to rest and acclimate before being sent inside.

June 15th-18th: Down in the tunnels with you! Characters are sent into the tunnels and can experience any of the effects listed above. If your party makes it out after sunset they'll be permitted to sleep in a tent, if they're lost then they will sleep in the tunnels. On the 18th, anyone who comes out alive will not have to go back in and the supply of crystals will be counted.

June 19th: Today would be the day of the Summer Festival, if they were back at Castle Thorne, but their captors aren't completely merciless. The prisoners and supervisors will be marched back to the fast-travel portal, where a small feast has been set up for them. It isn't as glamorous as what's back in Thorne, but it's the best meal the prisoners have been served since they arrived. And, as a bonus, the guards might slip you some alcohol if you did a good job in collecting the crystals.
Please visit the accompanying OOC plotting post to choose your team of three, and a supervisor if your group has one (groups without PC supervisors will be sent off on their own with no NPC supervisor). This event is designed to have some element of risk to it (but no one will die, don't worry!) so while you can plan what happens to your characters out with your group if you like, we also encourage you to post an action or two to our IC Consequences header below and leave it up to chance. Who knows, something awesome might happen.




Questions


Will there be any mod NPCing during this event?
The three visits with Lyle will be NPCed but other than that, no. Feel free to play random townies, guards, or black market sellers on your own!

Can I try to free the prisoners/can my imprisoned character break out?
Ambrose will be willing to hear cases for prisoner freedom after the event has concluded. You can try to smuggle the prisoners out of town during the festival or escape from the mountain, and prisoners can try to escape, but they will be caught and punished at this stage. Please post to the appropriate header below if you wish to have your character try!

Are the prisoners still powerless?
Yep! Don't worry, inmates, there'll be opportunities to be released for good behavior OR do a prison break soon. More details about the status of the prisoners will be released after this event.

Can my prisoner or supervisor character break away from their assigned group?
Yes, the tunnels are disorienting so individuals may wander off, especially if they are hallucinating. Feel free to interact with anyone and everyone.

What can the hallucinations entail?
Anything! They can think they're being chased, imagine a portal to a green oasis or even scenery from their own homeworld, and anything else you can come up with. They won't be real or tangible so nothing will remain of them once the affected characters are recovered (unless a special mod consequence is given...) but as stated above they can be shared between characters so everyone can see the same thing.

Can my character attend both the Summer Festival and the mission in the tunnels?
Alas, no. Both events will take the whole week, so it's one or the other!



frontlinetitties: please do not take (pic#14843288)

[personal profile] frontlinetitties 2021-06-21 03:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[Once she's established that the woman is following her, Gideon turns her back on the black market creeps and begins to stalk off with all the poise she can muster. She refuses to give in to the urge to peer back over her shoulder to ensure that they aren't planning to shank her like cowards the moment her attention is no longer on them, instead trying to convey only confidence, walking off like she owns the place. Sometimes all it takes is the assertion that one has nothing to fear to make that assertion true.

Lucky both for herself and her new acquaintance, the men only eye them narrowly as they head off toward other things.]


Oh, don't mention it. [She says it, hopes it comes off as smooth and suave as she hopes it does.] I hate assholes like that. Death first to vultures and scavengers.

[She never thought there'd be a day when she chose to quote Harrowhark of all people, but she has to admit, it had sounded pretty badass when she'd said it.]
arhivista: (pic#14858184)

[personal profile] arhivista 2021-06-21 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Unfortunately, they're common around places like this.

( at any marker but particularly those that were not-so-above board. especially behaviours that were threatening or simply less pleasant )

Something that I really should have expected.
frontlinetitties: please do not take (pic#14912110)

[personal profile] frontlinetitties 2021-06-22 11:42 am (UTC)(link)
Oh yeah, definitely.

[She says it in a dismissive tone that is meant to disguise the fact that she didn't really know this. This is, in actuality, the first market she's ever laid eyes on. That it both excites and fascinates her is something she's doing her best to keep under wraps, because excessive jubilation just isn't cool.

Instead, she says--]


What were you looking for, anyway? Or did they just corner you for no reason?
arhivista: (pic#14858191)

[personal profile] arhivista 2021-06-22 09:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, no. I was seeing what potential magical artefacts they might have. Though I wasn't interested in buying one.

( at least not there and then, not when she certainly couldn't. though zelda also wanted to know more about something before she bought it )

But considering the world that we're in it would be sensible to know what is possible.
frontlinetitties: please do not take (pic#14843283)

[personal profile] frontlinetitties 2021-06-23 09:56 am (UTC)(link)
Hmm, sensible maybe. But what's more sensible is not allowing yourself to get cornered by sleazy thugs in some dodgy market.

[She says it matter-of-factly, as though she herself has never made a rash decision in her life. This would, of course, be a lie were it to be spoken aloud. She keeps walking, ignoring the other people milling around them as they put more distance between themselves and dodgy men at that table. She flicks her golden eyes in the direction of her new companion, and this time her voice dips down toward considering.]

It would be a good idea to know what we're dealing with, though. And I kinda wanna get my hands on a sword soooo, I could snoop around with you, if you like.
arhivista: (pic#14858153)

[personal profile] arhivista 2021-06-23 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
( even though she knows she's being chastised a little zelda lets it brush off her, knowing that in her heart she knows what she's doing. or at least that's what she believes even if she did have to be rescued )

I would appreciate that. And perhaps I could help you find such a sword.

( at least keep an eye out for one. and just before they move further with that-- ) I'm Zelda.
frontlinetitties: please do not take (pic#14912113)

[personal profile] frontlinetitties 2021-06-24 11:58 am (UTC)(link)
Gideon.

[She says, kind of liking that Zelda is all she's given. None of the stuffy titles she's used to hearing, and so she leaves off her own in kind.]

D'you know much about swords? You look more the necro type to me. No offence.

[She sounds vaguely sceptical-- but after all, the other woman doesn't necessarily need to know a lot about swords to know how to help her find one. And she knows that the rest of the people here aren't divided up neatly between necromancers and their cavaliers - she's not in Canaan House any more - but sometimes it's hard to let go of what one knows.]
arhivista: (pic#14858111)

[personal profile] arhivista 2021-06-24 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
( honestly, it's a good thing that zelda did skip her title. head librarian of the order of the library of the neitherlands is a mouthful and pretentious all in one go. at least she can simplify both of those aspects )

I'm a magician.

( something that's surprisingly comfortable to admit in this place but it's somewhere where magic is open and known of. it helps )

I don't know much about swords but I can at least be another pair of eyes. ( peering over heads at the tables. height is an advantage, honestly )
frontlinetitties: please do not take (pic#14843287)

[personal profile] frontlinetitties 2021-06-25 02:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[They continue to wind their way between bustling stalls and the press of the crowds, the black market weirdos getting further and further behind them, and Gideon begins warming to her topic now. Perhaps two pairs of eyes and the fact that they're both on the tall side will work out for them, after all.]

Okay, so what I'm looking for is a two-hander, a longsword. I can use a rapier, and I'm pretty good with one too, but it's a two-hander I'm really after. Something nice and big and heavy, something you could do some real damage with, you know?

[She's already casting her gaze about as she asks her question.]

And a magician is kiiinda like a necro, right? It's more like, hands-off abilities and stuffy old tomes and things, just maybe with less skeletons?
arhivista: (pic#14858191)

[personal profile] arhivista 2021-06-27 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
( zelda certainly doesn't have an image in mind at that kind of sword but she'll keep an eye out, considering what might be big and heavy before ever getting gideon's attention to check )

Necromancy is... something that can be performed though it's advised against. ( for many reasons. and those were also the kinds of texts that the order had locked in the poison room -- dangerous magical knowledge that really shouldn't be in the world. those were the texts she had little qualms about locking up )

Magicians are more versatile than that, depending on their discipline. There are many different types of magic.

( though considering that she was a magician and a librarian maybe gideon had just described her in one. just with less skeletons )
frontlinetitties: please do not take (pic#14912113)

[personal profile] frontlinetitties 2021-07-02 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Huh? Advised against? Advised against by who?

[She casts her eyes toward the other woman without breaking her stride, expression clearly puzzled. She's aware that a universe exists outside of the Dominicus system, that their God - their Necrolord Prime, their great and benevolent Emperor, the king undying - isn't everyone's God, and that the Cohort are sometimes sent to deal with exactly these people when they become threats. But hearing that the very foundations of their society is advised against? Does not compute.]
arhivista: (pic#14858118)

[personal profile] arhivista 2021-07-04 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
( the order, most likely. they kept knowledge safe, held the dangerous knowledge out of reach. and more recently-- the list goes on )

There are simply things not done in my world -- with magic.

( she'd rather keep it as vague as possible )

Death is something that isn't touched.