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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!



not_caroline: (I Do Not See It)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-15 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
She's not looking, but she can't help but fall extremely still, self-consciously so, at the pleasant tone with its unpleasant undertones. And she might not have her own magic but she doesn't miss that strange intonation that makes the other man panic, before the grip on her shoulder changes as Jon marches them away.

Curious.

She keeps her form tight and her head down for another minute or so, before she straightens up, shrugging his hand off so she can fully drop her demure act, and lifts a hand to dry her eyes with the sleeve balled in her palm.

"Nice trick," she comments evenly, but there's no hiding the curiosity in her red eyes now, when she looks back up at Jon.
the_archive: (Direct)

[personal profile] the_archive 2021-06-15 05:20 pm (UTC)(link)
"Isn't it." His tone doesn't invite further question on the topic. Not that he's confident that will stop her from asking.

"Is your wrist all right?" The question is a little stern, for the care it evidences. But he's going to check she wasn't hurt before anything else.
not_caroline: (ah)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-15 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
It absolutely won't, but his own question back to her makes her push her sleeves up to check. Of course he'd grabbed the one Jon hadn't healed earlier, and she grimaces at the sight of scraped blisters.

"I'll survive. It's what I get for fucking that up."
the_archive: (Moody af)

[personal profile] the_archive 2021-06-17 09:16 am (UTC)(link)
"Yes, what an amateur mistake." The direct look he gives her makes his meaning clear - he knows full well it wasn't her first minor larceny. "Caroline, you aren't going to be able to hide anything you steal back in the cell."
not_caroline: (you don't know me)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-17 10:08 am (UTC)(link)
She gives him a sardonic side-eye. "Well, sorry that we can't all have plush accommodations in actual fucking bedrooms. But until they somehow miraculously decide that maybe the lot of us down there aren't a waste of time and space, I'm going to make the most of the fact my tunic covers my pockets and the guards don't check them very hard."
the_archive: (Gloomy)

[personal profile] the_archive 2021-06-17 10:22 am (UTC)(link)
He sighs. This is going to get them both into trouble.

"Until the next one does, and you get your cell-mate's treatment."
not_caroline: (the fuckn AUDACITY)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-17 10:53 am (UTC)(link)
That gets a grimace. "I'm not Majima, christ. I don't go out of my way to antagonise guards, you think I'm suicidal?"

At the very least, she makes a show of folding her arms, so Jon can't keep getting mad at her.
the_archive: (a smile?)

[personal profile] the_archive 2021-06-17 11:05 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, judging by the size of your new friend back there, I get the sense your obviously keen sense of self preservation is slipping."
not_caroline: (BWELL)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-17 11:55 am (UTC)(link)
"What? Learning a new skill takes practise. I haven't got that one down yet."

Pickpocketing is hard, okay, most of her other skills don't involve actually touching people.
the_archive: (Direct)

[personal profile] the_archive 2021-06-17 12:05 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well, practice on people you could throw off and run," he suggests. As if he knows anything about pickpocketing. Jon is a law-abiding citizen, young lady.
not_caroline: PB: Selena Gomez (markoS fam)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-17 12:09 pm (UTC)(link)
She snorts. It almost sounds like wood creaking. "In these clothes? I can't even see my feet, I can't fight someone like this, forget about dodging."
the_archive: (Moody af)

[personal profile] the_archive 2021-06-17 12:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"Then people I could throw off and run." Because Jon is not a large man, and he has the soft look of an academic, despite the copious scars and general haggardness.
not_caroline: (you don't know me)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-17 12:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"Get good, scrub." The words are out of her mouth before she can stop them, and she unfolds her arms so she can brush her hair out of her face and pretend she's not blushing for a second.
the_archive: (Moody af)

[personal profile] the_archive 2021-06-18 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
He gives her a long look, taking a moment to remember that he hasn't interacted with children since he was one and maybe they're all this trying, all of the time.

Especially in conditions like this.

"Just try to be careful. Be smart."
not_caroline: PB: Selena Gomez (Default)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-18 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
"Most of my being smart involves stuff I can't do anymore." She gestures herself up and down pointedly. "I can't even try and copy that healing spell you used on me."
the_archive: (Moody af)

[personal profile] the_archive 2021-06-18 08:22 am (UTC)(link)
"I said smart. That doesn't depend on whatever powers you're used to having."
not_caroline: (you don't know me)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-19 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh, don't you know them already, Jon?" she asks, saccharinely sweet.

The problem with trying to be smart was fighting her old instincts; if she'd still had her magic, she could have just transubstantiated (she loves that word, even if her Fetch taught it to her) into some of the dust kicking around their feet and been out of his grip in an instant.

She looks away again, dropping the prissy smile and pulling her tunic up so she can stick her hands in her pockets. "Besides. You spend most of your life learning how to do things the one way, other stuff gets... harder. Being tactical's hard."
the_archive: (Moody af)

[personal profile] the_archive 2021-06-19 04:21 pm (UTC)(link)
"I don't get to choose what or when I know." Or he does, but that process is always unpleasant. For him or for the topic of the information. Sometimes both.

"For example," he says, in a slightly softer voice even if the words are blunt. "I don't know if you'll get back what you're used to being able to do. And I'd tell you if I did know," he adds. "So be tactical. You're clever enough."
not_caroline: (so the thing is)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-21 02:11 am (UTC)(link)
Honestly, blunt is the way to go with her. Even if it makes her bristle and look away, hunching in on herself a little, she can't willingly misinterpret it or have a go at him for it. It doesn't help that he's still complimenting her in the middle of it.

But still, it rankles something fierce. Her entire living memory so far has been being forced to capitulate to someone with stupid power over her, power they shouldn't have or use, and her being forced to cower and grovel and play pathetic and needy to get through it. She's sick of it.

She takes a deep breath, then bites her lip to stop it from quavering for a few seconds. Her voice sounds more confident than she feels, as she gives her head a light toss to flick her hair back. "Of course I am. I've been pulling this shit for like, eighteen years. What's a few more... what, months, maybe?"

(And that much - eighteen years - has a definite air of truth to it, albeit a somewhat confused one.)
Edited 2021-06-21 02:17 (UTC)
the_archive: (Moody af)

[personal profile] the_archive 2021-06-25 10:53 am (UTC)(link)
Look, she can have the satisfaction of actually surprising him with a bit of information. Because that does ring true, and he doesn't know why. He moves back an inch, looking at her.

"Explain that if you want to," he says seriously, careful not to let it be a question. He won't compel her.
not_caroline: (you've got ten seconds)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-25 11:28 am (UTC)(link)
She looks up at him when he moves, and there's a flash of surprise and confusion in her eyes for a moment, that's quickly covered by a bored facade again. "My parents got divorced when I was eight," she explains dryly, resettling her arms a little tighter in their fold. "When you're a divorced kid, you get pretty good at pretending everything's okay, like Mum and Dad do. I've been doing that for as long as I can remember."

She looks away again, and there's a long moment's pause before she adds, a little quieter, "But. I've done this whole 'being kidnapped by magic dickheads into other worlds' before. Which, like. Weirdly specific, but what're you gonna do." She takes another breath, and this one doesn't wobble through sheer force. "Time didn't work right there. That's all."
the_archive: (ALMOST a smile)

[personal profile] the_archive 2021-06-25 11:48 am (UTC)(link)
He knows pity's not going to go over well, but there's definitely sympathy in his expression, relaxed for once out of its sour frown.

"So between us," he says after a moment. "We've got at least four punches on our 'kidnapped by magic dickheads' card. How many before we get a free ice cream?"
not_caroline: PB: Selena Gomez (markoS fam)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-25 11:56 am (UTC)(link)
That gets a genuine snort of amusement out of her, and her entire form relaxes a little bit. She'll take sympathy; she knows plenty of other people who've been kidnapped like her, anyway. The other Lost.

"Five's a free ice-cream, whole card's an entire meal," she replies easily, looking him up and down. Not judgementally, just. Curious. "How'd you get out of yours?"
the_archive: (ALMOST a smile)

[personal profile] the_archive 2021-06-25 12:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"I was just there about a month, I found out later. A bigger magic dickhead showed up to eat me, and then he got killed by- well, himself, sort of. But a less dickhead version." Which is as good an explanation of Michael and Helen as any. "She got me out, back to the Archives. My track record of rescuing myself from peril is not brilliant," he adds, letting himself be a little sheepish.
not_caroline: (you don't know me)

[personal profile] not_caroline 2021-06-25 12:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"I mean, it's not like I've got room to talk." Which is a pretty big admission, admittedly, with how much swagger she keeps carrying herself with normally. "I learned to count seasons while I was Over There-" an actual Title, in fact "- which, by the way, is really fucking hard - I was there for like, ten years, I think?" Her tone is dismissive, like that doesn't actually matter (and really, in some ways, it doesn't), and she breezes past it easily. "One of the Huntsman started a riot, it was fucking chaos. We both got a few hits in here and there as we were running away from it all, and -- yeah, suddenly we were back in Canberra."

There's certainly some glossing over details there, but she legitimately doesn't remember most of the finer details of their escape.

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