♥ July 2019 Intro Mingle

[hugtopiamods]

July Intro Log
Welcome to Havenwell! The walled city and its robotic inhabitants welcome all of the offworlders to Aellyn. New arrivals are given their tablets and showed to open housing, given tours around the city, and generally helped with settling into their new world. Some robots are more curious than others, more helpful than others, but overall the atmosphere of the city is one of hope and celebration. It is, however, a city that needs some help, and as newcomers wander, they may find that they can do a lot to aid Havenwell in its recovery.

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❥ PROMPT I: Temple Jobs

The priests of each temple have a digital bulletin board in front of their temple doors that lists several tasks that each temple is asking of natives and newcomers alike. Havenwell is protected from the worst of the damage outside the walls, but it's still an ancient city and there's always something that needs to be done. Of course, the priests won't ask you to do these things for free, so anyone who wants to join up and complete a task will receive a reward of Dora sent to their bank accounts.

The sudden weather changes sometimes results in localized floods, so businesses and homes are always looking for help cleaning debris and mopping floors. The temples themselves always need a little extra help picking up after the temple animals or cleaning the altars. Some stores need help transporting goods across the city - normally a two person job, pulling carts and wagons. And lately, temples have been asking for help in cleaning up the city square for a "big *wink wink* project" coming soon. The priests won't say more than that, but they will offer payment for anyone willing to keep the square clean. Which may be a little difficult with the influx of new people, maps, and general trash and broken debris everywhere. It may be smart to team up to keep things clean!

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❥ PROMPT II: Repli-fails

One thing that new residents might find that needs some help are the food replicators found in each home. They've been unused for so long that issues and trouble were inevitable. People who can fix them are few and far between, however, so until an antiques' maintenance-minded robotic denizen stops by, characters may have to suffer through some glitches. When characters ask for potatoes, they might find blue-flavored toothpaste getting dispensed instead. Or if they ask for 1 carrot, they get 20 hot pink ones instead. Or asking for a drink becomes a never-ending stream of said drink. Or they might not dispense anything that looks like food at all and instead inundate you with vaguely fish-shaped wooden blocks. Good luck, newbies. Even the natives are a little baffled by this one.

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❥ PROMPT III: Virtual? Reality?

The VR simulation of the month, Petting Zoo, seems to still be pretty popular. Natives are plugging in to pet animals in record numbers and it's encouraged the proprietors of the VR parlors to keep the game a little longer than normal. New arrivals are encouraged to take the VR headsets for a spin to help proprietors gauge how to better adjust them for non-robotic clientele. That said, they'll still ask characters to pay for the experience, just not at a slightly discounted rate if they answer a survey afterwards. Characters will notice that holding hands with someone else during their VR experience significantly improves the quality of the visuals and audio input.

Unfortunately, as with most things in Havenwell, the VR experience doesn't always go as planned. On occasion in the city, glitches happen while residents are plugged in and suddenly that flock of giant pink sheep they were petting? Yeah, they're now manifested in the real world. In and around the entertainment districts, illogically colored sheep, giant house cats, miniature ponies, and - of course - the dreaded aggro rainbow chickens suddenly start appearing in packs. Their images glitch in and out, fuzzing into static in places, but they're very real and very confused about not being in their happy green pastures. Which means they panic, of course, and start running amok. Help the citizens corral these strange beasts until the glitch ends, run away from the now very real flocks of rainbow chickens that want to dogpile you, or simply stand by and watch the chaos occur. It's up to you how you want to help!

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❥ PROMPT IV: The Ribbon Games

A couple weeks after everyone has arrived and had time to mostly settle into the weird weather patterns and machinery muck-ups, a notice is plastered across the network:

The citizens of Havenwell wish you well, offworlders! To show our appreciation for your assistance in saving our world, we cordially invite you to participate in an ancient tradition: The Ribbon Games! In the old days, this festival was held as a celebration of joyous events. You have a week to collect as many ribbons as you can from your temple by completing their Ribbon Task. Then, at the end of the week, we are hosting a party in your honor where you can compete to collect ribbons from the other temples to win fabulous prizes! Please visit your deity's temple to find out more and we hope you will join us for the Ribbon Games Party at the end of the week.

With all our gratitude,
The Citizens of Havenwell

Those who choose to participate and head to their deity's temple will find a priest with a sash and a box of ribbons in the colors of your chosen deity. They point to a digital board at their side that lists the task you'll need to complete in order to earn one of these ribbons, and will allow characters to complete a ribbon challenge once a day until the week is over for a total of 7 ribbons if they come each day. You may only earn the ribbon of your assigned deity, so if you are an adherent of Rawna and go to Ainea's temple, even if you complete Ainea's task, you cannot receive her ribbon. The tasks are:

• Rawna: Give comfort to someone or ease someone's pain within Rawna's temple to receive a shimmering silver ribbon.
  
• Ainea: Do an act of kindness or show compassion to someone within Ainea's temple to receive a soft pink and purple ribbon.
  
• Diacht: Reveal an honest truth about yourself within Diacht's temple to receive a bold red and white ribbon.
  
• Ohma: Learn something new about or from someone within Ohma's temple to receive a delicate blue and gold ribbon.

Once a task is completed, the priest will remove a ribbon from their box and affix it to your clothing. Don't let anyone steal your ribbons! Good luck keeping them safe, offworlders.

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❥ PROMPT V: The Fanciest of Welcome Parties

At the end of the month, once the city square is clean and the ribbons have been distributed to participating citizens, the newest residents of Havenwell will wake to the sound of music floating over the city. During the night while people slept, the natives decorated the city with streamers, brightly colored lanterns, and strings of beautiful lights that glow no matter the hour of the day. The natives have decorated themselves, too, and provide the offworlders with clothing and decorations to match. Garishly colored sashes, brilliantly (artificially) plumed hats, skirts and tunics, boas and fake flower leis - just about anything you can imagine, they're wearing. In and around the city square there are long tables of oddly colored finger foods - orange-colored grapes, bright pink meats, blue cheeses and the like are provided along with golden chocolates, fuchsia frosted cupcakes with pink cake underneath, and minty green cookies. The foods might look strange, but at least they mostly taste like they're supposed to. The citizens are trying, they promise.

All around the fountain depicting the four gods in the center of the square, pre-recorded music is playing and the natives are dancing in pairs, groups, and lines. Join them for a dance and they'll happily teach you the local customs, or break out your own moves and share your world's best moves to earn some applause and awkward attempts at recreating them.

The big game of the night is shared by the natives and it's announced halfway through the party. The culmination of the Ribbon Games is a contest to try and collect a set of four ribbons - one from each different god's temple. The rules are simple:

1. Attach your ribbons to yourself in a clearly visible location.
   
2. Tag and hold someone else for more than 1 minute. You can bear hug them, hold their hands, link arms, anything!
   
3. After sustaining contact, you can take one of their ribbons. If you aren't the character who initiated contact, you can't take a ribbon.
   
4. Gather one of each god's ribbon in order to win a prize!

If you successfully manage to get all four ribbons, a little shower of confetti will burst from your ribbons and a nice little chunk of Dora will be transferred to your account. This can only work once unfortunately, but it's a nice little bonus for your first month in Havenwell! The party continues late into the night and the natives are happy to keep the party going as long as any of the offworlders wish to keep dancing.

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As a reminder, please post your character to the Taken Character list and your own information to the Player Contact list as soon as possible. It helps us keep track of our player cap!

If you have any other questions, please ask them in the QUESTION thread below. Feel free to use the CR/Intro Meme to do OOC plotting. Otherwise, welcome to Hugtopia's first mingle log!

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Comments

[abracafcku]

Talk about a monopoly.

[If only one person ever got to control all the magic in the world? Fuck, no wonder they were a king. Kind of a huge weakness in the system though to have only one outlet for all that power. Kill the king and bye bye magic. Sounded like it worked for them though, and while Taako couldn't stand the idea of owing anyone allegiance just to get a few sparks from his fingers, he figured warlocks did well enough with that.

The weirdos.]

So only the king's faves get to have magic? That seems a little, uh, lopsided, don't you think?

[original_is_best]

I would agree. It's also a potential weakness considering the king and his kingdom have been overly reliant on magic and divine intervention to protect them. If someone were to find a way to interfere with it, they'd likely find themselves at quite a loss at how to handle it. It's never good to become so predictable in your strategy.

[Which was exactly what science man was working on. He was, after all, from the enemy country.]

Now, the eight specializations.

[abracafcku]

Gotta diversify your portfolio if you don't wanna get mcfucked on the field, huh? Sound advice. Maybe you should tell him.

[Says Taako, completely unaware of the whole political minefield that is Insomnia. Oh well.

With a heavy sigh, Taako rolls his eyes and starts counting off the schools of magic.]

The eight schools are Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy - which is a big ol' no-no in most worlds - and Transmutation. You typically choose one to specialize in, but because wizards can just learn shit like smart people, you basically get to mix and match as long as you study hard enough. Abjuration is for making sure you don't get blown up with like, shields and shit. Conjuration makes shit appear. Divination tells you what shit's going on. Enchantment makes someone think some shit happened even if it didn't. Evocation blows the fuck outta shit. Illusion only makes it look you blew the fuck outta shit. Necromancy brings that shit back from the dead, and Transmutation turns something into other shit.

[And with that utterly scientific description, Taako lets out a breath of relief.]

Satisfied?

[original_is_best]

Oh, I'd prefer he didn't prepare other defense mechanisms. It'll make my job a lot easier.

[After two thousand years of relying on that damn Wall they would never seen it coming.]

Excellent. That is quite enlightening. My thanks.

[Because it really did explain a fair amount that he was wondering about, even if Taako was colorful about it.]

[abracafcku]

Oh wait- fuck. You're enemies? Well shit, that sucks.

[Does...telling him this stuff mean he's helping a war then? Does that put him on some regent's shitlist now? DAMN.]

Mmhm. Yeah, enjoy that because I highly doubt you have access to the Weave here.

[Even if Taako and Lup did. He didn't know how it worked, if there was a Plane of Magic here, too, that they were somehow tapping into or if it was like a localized field of magic that followed them from planar reality to planar reality. Either way, he was glad for the ability to Evocate someone into oblivion if they pissed him off.]

So does this mean I earn the dumb ribbon because I need like, all of them. I have no idea how to use them, but if we get prizes? I'm gonna fuckin' win.

[original_is_best]

I've never been able to access magic and I don't expect to in the near future. That will hardly stop me from succeeding, though.

[He outstretched his arms in a near shrug. Of course, he was going to see if he could find a way to jam the Weave as well, because he didn't need anyone to have the ability to throw a fireball at him without some sort of self-defense. No need to mention that to him, though.]

If you are an 'adherent' of Ohma, then yes. So long as you were honest you should be able to collect a ribbon.

[Because he'd seen what happened when someone tried to get one through trickery.]

[abracafcku]

Uh....coooooool.....then.... I guess?

[Something about the way he says that seems weirdly ominous and Taako eyes Verstael for a moment before sliding over to the waiting box of ribbons. He wishes it had a slightly better scheme. The blue is an unpleasant reminder of the organization to which his bracer, still clamped uselessly and irrevocably around his wrist, belongs. He takes one though, and shoves it in his pocket quickly, then back to Verstael.]

So what happens if I lied? Does it blow up and kill us all?

[original_is_best]

[Pretty much the feeling most people got from him.]

It will disappear when you leave.

[Not quite so dramatic, but would make the time they spent a waste.]

[abracafcku]

Well dunk.

[He clutches the ribbon in his pocket a little tighter and then pulls it out, checking. Nope, still there. So he was telling the truth, sure enough and he knew that, but since it wasn't suddenly searing a hole through him the Ark of the Covenant, he figures he's safe.]

So? You gonna pick up a ribbon, too?

[original_is_best]

Naturally. I earned it.

[Along with plenty of others, but it didn't hurt to have extras just in case, right? It was a shame Taako seemed so focused on the ribbons - he preferred to learn more about the magic. That was probably why he'd gotten so many ribbons though.

He stepped up to take another with a glance towards Taako.]

Your name was Taako, correct?

[Because they hadn't formally introduced himself, but the mention hadn't gone unnoticed.]

[abracafcku]

The one and only.

[He steps to the side, giving Verstael a wide berth as he goes up for his ribbon. Something about him is unsettling and his ears twitch at the question, even as he maintains his calm outer demeanor.]

Taako from TV even. A celebrity in your midst.

[original_is_best]

You have television on your world?

[That sounded out of place based on what he knew thus far, but hey, one could never know. There was no reason magic and technology couldn't both exist on a world.

He'd collected another ribbon for himself, without much fanfare for himself.]

Well, Taako, I thank you for your time.

[Even if he'd been a little less cooperative than some.]

[abracafcku]

Something like that.

[Taako smirks because his non-answer isn't untrue. Now that he remembers the two-sunned planet, he knows where his catchphrase came from, but also that things in Faerun were anachronistic for a reason.

He steps away from the ribbon box, stuffing the ribbon into his pocket, deep where it can't be stolen from him.]

And no prob, my guy. You ever want a magic demonstration up close, you know where to find me.

[Or not because like hell if he's going to give his address out to some rando he meets.]

[original_is_best]

[Why did Taako offer such a thing? It might be his doom.]

What magic do you know?

[Because Verstael wasn't waiting to take up that offer. Why wait when you could have demonstrations now?]

[abracafcku]

[Because he has zero intention on following up.]

What kind? Well, all sorts.

For example?

[Taako makes sure his ribbon is secure and then grins at Verstael, snapping his finger and whispering "Blink" under his breath.

In an instant, Taako is gone - winking out of existence right before his companion's eyes. See ya, science nerd. He's outta here before this guy gets anymore weird ideas.]

[original_is_best]

[Oh, but that was follow-up enough for now. He waited for a moment, but it became clear Taako was gone.

And that was an interesting ability indeed. It reminded him of the king's ability to warp. He would definitely file it away for later...]