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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!



photophobic: (125)

[personal profile] photophobic 2021-06-26 08:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[Kylo probably wouldn't be entirely sure what was happening here even if he could dip into Jaskier's mind— which, thanks to the enduring aftereffects of their summoning here, he can't. Presently. Instead, he peers curiously at the rapidly shifting expressions on Jaskier's very expressive little face, bemused and... fascinated, really.

What an odd creature he is. Flattering and totally irreverent at the same time.]


I was headed to the dining hall myself.

[So... a yes, then. Kylo gestures for Jaskier to lead on, ready to fall into step. Assuming Jaskier can keep pace with Kylo's overlong strides, of course, as he picks up the conversation where they left off.]

Spacefaring. Travel between planets at faster-than-light speeds. You could call it... the practical application of astronomy.
cointosser: ([070])

[personal profile] cointosser 2021-07-01 07:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Jaskier does not let it show, but he is actually quite surprised that worked at all, considering all the glowering and general aura of, er, unfriendliness. This means he can double down and certainly wring at least a story out of him, of course.

His smile is bright, which he beams up at his enormous friend with a wiggle of his brows.

Luckily, keeping up with tall men who clearly mean to leave him behind is nothing new for Jaskier, who steps a little quickly but appears no more the rushed for it. The problem lies in that he is spending more of his energy trying to keep up with his words.

He's not a fool. Far from it, however he should be perceived. It's only these concepts he's hinting towards are --]


Impossible. [He mutters it to himself.] Since when has light had a speed? It's not a horse.

[But his tone isn't meant to be a total dispute. What the fuck did that even mean? Even should his companion try to get rid of him, he certainly wasn't now that Jaskier's curiosity was so aroused. The way to the banquet hall isn't far, but it's far enough he can eke a few more barely-explainable words.] Light is simply there, or it's not. [He tips his head to watch his face steadily.] Unless this borders on some element of chaos I've yet to understand.

[Which isn't a large stretch. Magic -- chaos -- has been most incomprehensible to him, having no reason to ever learn more of it.]
photophobic: (194)

[personal profile] photophobic 2021-07-12 07:31 am (UTC)(link)

[Kylo's mouth seems to be tugging into a suspiciously curve-like shape, a smile despite his best intent to the contrary. Jaskier's incredulous outburst is... adorable, really, and as an endlessly curious creature himself, Kylo can't help but be fond of the expression of fascination painted on his face.]

Light travels. As sound does. When you speak, the sound travels through the air, and when it reaches my ear I hear it. Yes? Light is the same. Light a candle, and the light travels from the source. When it reaches your eye, you see it.

[Simples! Still, Kylo can't resist waxing just a little bit poetic... in his way, at least.]

Light is much faster than sound, which is why it appears instant. Move far enough away from the source, you can measure it. The starlight you see at night may have been travelling for many thousands of years before reaching you. Some of it came from distant stars that have already died.

cointosser: (Default)

[personal profile] cointosser 2021-07-17 06:38 am (UTC)(link)
[Jaskier blinks.]

What on earth are you talking about? [He's not sure whether his new lunchdate is making fun of him or trying to attempt some... utterly bizarre point. He frowns. Jaskier isn't exactly writing him off, but -- light doesn't travel. Sound doesn't. Why would it travel? Through what?]

You hear it as soon as I speak it. You see the light of a flame once it sparks.

[The further explanation is almost infuriating because it... it sort of makes sense, as much as it sounds like the ravings of a madman. Of course, Jaskier has also had similar reactions when he's mentioned meeting a dragon who looks like a man -- not that that makes any of this make sense.

He raises his brows with a shake of his head. It's also quite a rarity to meet a man who would speak his mad ravings with such conviction, in such a sexy way. So there's that. Look, Jaskier has indulged far worse than someone who thinks a star can die.]
You sound absolutely mad, you know? But also intriguing. Is there more to this theory of yours?
photophobic: (027)

and then they had a very nerdy dinner date which kylo did not realise was a date

[personal profile] photophobic 2021-07-18 08:42 am (UTC)(link)

[It's far from the first time Kylo's been accused of madness, but for whatever reason this particular instance is more amusing than infuriating. Perhaps it's the way Jaskier wants to hear more? Very few people have ever genuinely wanted Kylo to keep talking, after all.]

Much more. Some of it I can even prove to you.

[But for now, they've arrived. The banquet hall is full to bursting with all the luxuries of today's particular feast. Kylo gestures for Jaskier to join him, magnanimous in role as teacher, guide to the marvels of physics, and utterly oblivious arm-candy.]