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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!



brittlest: ([006])

[personal profile] brittlest 2021-06-14 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
[If not for that downward flicker of her attention to the cane in his hand, he might take Unfortunately as a cue to be resolutely on his way and so subsequently make a disappearance down the length of the study hall and into the great stacks of the library itself without much further ado.

And yet that sweep of her eyeline all but fixes the foot of the walking cane to the floor beneath it. Invisible to all but the closest examination, the hand on the stick's curved handle tightens. What is less covert is the tip of the man's head and the extraordinarily flat quality of his return examination.]


Which symbol did they give to you?
dreamtofheroics: (🌹84)

[personal profile] dreamtofheroics 2021-06-14 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
[ she offered her name, he wants to know her symbol. her eyebrows lift curiously to the question, as if Belle is trying to gauge what it might mean to him for this man to lead with that. she hasn't put much meaning into those symbols, at least not yet.]

Strength.

[she almost expects him to be on his way with that answer alone, but she does keep her eyes on him, silently wondering what he'll have to say about it. there can't possibly be a right or a wrong answer to how they were labeled. none of them even had a say in it.]
brittlest: ([005])

[personal profile] brittlest 2021-06-14 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
I assume you've read or been told what it means by our hosts.

[Hosts. What a funny word for a jailer with every key ever crafted at their belt.

The end of the stick thwacks against the floor as the man takes a step closer to her place. It's a single stride and he makes no effort to move around the table to join her on the other side of it. No, that barrier between them can stay right where it is.]


Tell me, do you find it all indicative of your character?
dreamtofheroics: commission; please do not use (🌹122)

[personal profile] dreamtofheroics 2021-06-16 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
[he's asking a question that Belle has already asked herself a few times since her sign was explained to her. the answer is a complicated yes; she's not sure he's expecting (or wanting) any details.]

I do, but I also find that I could fit into some of the other signs, too.

[so she's curious, about how that one was chosen for her - what the deciding factor might've been.]

I think that's true of most of us, isn't it? What's your sign?
brittlest: ([006])

[personal profile] brittlest 2021-06-20 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
Death.

[He says it brisk and off the cuff as if there is no foreboding sense to the shape of that word whatsoever. With a clack of wood on wood, the cane's head is hooked over the table's far edge. Without looking at the candle—]

You're thinking of the flame, not the wick. Consider the thing you meant to affect rather than on manifesting the element.
dreamtofheroics: commission; please do not use. (🌹88)

[personal profile] dreamtofheroics 2021-06-20 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
Death.

[ she echoes his words in an equally casual manner, in part because of the way he responds to it himself. yet it does send her mind racing, especially with the knowledge that each sign has both positive and negative associations to it.

it's an interesting symbol to be labeled with, though not a death sentence itself.

but then he pushes the discussion forward again, pointing out something she has, admittedly, been missing all of this.]


The wick! [ her eyes brighten instantly, because he's right - she's put all her energy into focusing on what she was trying to create, not the object that's right in front of her.] I've thought of everything but that. You've studied magic?
brittlest: ([003])

[personal profile] brittlest 2021-06-20 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
[Something at the edge of his expression curls. It's an unpleasant thing, more like the baring of teeth than a smile, and even the pale shadow of humor fails to extend as high as his eyes. Has he studied magic?

It's not a question he's ever been asked before. Whatever novelty it might hold is outstripped by the latent mediocrity implied by being asked.]


A long time ago.
dreamtofheroics: commission; please do not use (🌹86)

[personal profile] dreamtofheroics 2021-06-20 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ is that a question she's not supposed to ask? he does answer, though she's quickly realized that he seems to say as little about himself as possible in every reply. when he hits his limit, she's sure he'll have no issue in saying so.]

Do you find that magic is different here than it was in your home world?

[assuming that its his home world where he studied (and experience tells her that might be a big assumption sometimes).]
brittlest: ([004])

[personal profile] brittlest 2021-06-20 06:18 am (UTC)(link)
[Yes. In its practice, in its frequency, in the texture of its shape in the air as it drifts beyond the reach of his fingertips. In every way that matters, yes. It is different.]

In a sense.

[His hand—the one which isn't engaged with the cane hooked at the edge of the table—has floated absently upward, and it turning as if to gesture at something when he seems to realize what he's doing. Instead, he sets that hand flat on the table top.]

It's wilder here. Less regulated.
dreamtofheroics: (🌹148)

[personal profile] dreamtofheroics 2021-06-20 07:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Belle nods, considering her own spell and the demonstration she's agreed to participate in. eventually, she's sure all that all of this will make sense to her. but at the moment, the thought of them immediately asking newcomers to take on mastering a spell says something about Thorne's expectations.]

Are you planning to perform at the demonstration?

[ he certainly sounds capable of it, if he can sense the changes in magic here.]
brittlest: ([008])

[personal profile] brittlest 2021-06-21 06:38 am (UTC)(link)
[Some shape lurking in the dark set of his expression narrows, and then is folded and put away—an impulse checked by force. The smile he pastes on is lopsided, quick, charming in the sense that it's meant not to be questioned even though it clearly ought to be.]

No. I don't think I will.

[And then he nods to the candle between them.]

Go on then. Try it again.
dreamtofheroics: (🌹197)

[personal profile] dreamtofheroics 2021-06-23 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ she has enough experience with darkness to know when questioning it is pointless. he's as entitled to his privacy as anyone else, so she moves on from it with a nod before her eyes settle on the candle again.]

Right, the wick.

[she says that as a reminder, settling her gaze on the object once more. it takes a moment for her to concentrate, and as those seconds pass she's not entirely sure of it herself. though its only a flicker of a flame that her effort sparks, she looks thoroughly pleased with it when she looks back up at Michael.]

I'm sure you were expecting more, but it is progress for me.